Twin Humanities
by fil03
Summary: In Dark Souls, the game is often adventured alone, and with fleeting contact with others. In this, I seek to explore how exactly the dynamic of Lordran changes when, instead of one Chosen Undead, a pair of siblings is chosen. Flynn and Resa will journey through Lordan together, dealing with the monsters of the land in tandem.
1. Chapter 1

**Greetings Readers: In this story, I plan to explore what it would be like to have two Chosen Undead in the world of Lordran, in this case the fraternal twins Flynn and Resa. I can't think of too many examples from Dark Souls where we know of any siblings (Quelaag and her folk, as well as Gwynevere/Gwyndolin), and I can't think of any examples off the top of my head where there are twins, either identical or fraternal.**

 **Before I get underway, I want to lay down a few rules for this Lordran, most of which should seem pretty intuitive:**

 **Healing spells cast by Resa can alternatively affect Flynn at her choice - Resa will be a cleric, and I feel like this is pretty straightforward.**

 **No phantoms can be summoned, but the duo can be invaded - With 2 people already doing every boss fight, I don't feel the need for more than that. If NPC's rely on being summoned to advance their plot, that stipulation is ignored.**

 **Now, I'll be showing the characters base stats at the beginning of each chapter, mainly so people can see naturally how they progress throughout the course of the game.**

 **Flynn - Starting Class: Knight**

 **SL5 - 14 VIT - 10 ATT - 10 END - 11 STR - 11 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa - Starting Class: Cleric**

 **SL2 - 11 VIT - 11 ATT - 9 END - 12 STR - 8 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 14 FTH**

 **Also, this is being written for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) 2017. The goal is 50,000 words on a new story by the end of November, so expect multiple updates a week until I hit that number.**

 **All characters and locations besides Resa and Flynn are property of From Software and Bandai Namco.**

 **Flynn**

Thorolund. I knew that that was where I was from...or was it? Everything seemed so hazy now. The last thing I remembered was my home being assaulted, a group of clerics beating down our door and calling me and Resa 'Undead'. I'd heard the word...I'd learned to fear that word. For those labeled Undead, the only life was one of exile.

And that's exactly what happened. Resa and I were abducted in the middle of the night, uncharacteristically brazen clerics charging in with torches and pitchforks to drag us away for the rest of our unending lives.

I opened my eyes, finding myself in a small, confined cell littered with filth and corpses. I tried to get up and rush to the door but my strength seemed to be a fraction of what it use to be. I looked down at my bare, naked body, seeing what I'd become. My flesh was marred and distorted, and I realized I looked more like the corpses lining this cell than who I once was. I pulled myself to the bars of the cell, looking out to see an unending hallway in front of me, fading off into the darkness. Was this my life, to die so unceremoniously in this cage?

"Flynn...where are we?" I turned back around to face the cell, my sister's voice being the only thing I could focus on. Amidst the bodies in the room, though, I couldn't tell which one was her.

"Over here, you." I saw one of the bodies raise an arm and I lunged toward it, grasping her shriveled hand in my own.

"Resa, I'm going to get us out of here. I don't know how, or when, but we aren't going to rot in here." I helped her up, the two of us barely managing to stand on our unsightly feet. I moved back over to the door and tried to shake it open, but only managing to shake my own body slightly. It was locked, that much I could tell.

I turned back to Resa, not sure if my expression conveyed the frustration that I was feeling...not sure if I could convey any expression at all. "We're going to get out of here, I - "

I was interrupted by a hole being knocked in the ceiling, the rubble barely missing the two of us. I leaned over and looked up, seeing a man clad in heavy armor leaning down. "My name is Oscar of Astora. You seem to be less insane than the rest, though you've been here for years. Take these, they'll help you escape." He extended his hand and dropped a keyring before looking back up and disappearing into the ceiling.

...Years? We'd been in here for years? It only seemed like we had been captured yesterday, not years ago? My mind was racing with questions, but they were questions that I wasn't ready to face yet. Resa knelt down and picked up the key, turning back towards me. "It looks we'll be leaving after all. Come on, Flynn, let's go. She walked over to the door and reached her sickly arm through the gaps, managing to insert the key into the lock. Turning it proved to be more difficult for her and I reached my hand through the door, grasping onto her hand, and twisting. The lock clicked upon and the door creaked open, the grinding of metal echoing through the endless hallway as the two of us began pushing it open with all our might.

As I looked out into the hall, I saw several more undead lining the walls, mindlessly beating the walls or just simply...standing there. Perhaps Oscar was right...we were less insane than the rest, if this was the standard of life around here. I wasn't about to walk around this place defenseless, especially if we were the only two people here that had any sort of sense.

I looked back in our cell and found the remains of several weapons, the blades of which had been broken and rusted off over the years...they would have to do. I picked two up and handed one to Resa. "Carry this...I hope we don't have to use it, but I'm doubting it."

She grasped the weapon and held it timidly, looking at it with the fear I expected from my sister. I grasped her hand, looking into her sunken eyes. "Okay, I understand. I'll protect you, don't worry."

I kept hold of her hand as I began shuffling forward down the hallway, keeping an eye on the mindless people, if I could even call them that, that we passed by. They seemed completely docile, more willing to continue endlessly banging on the wall than looking at us, and we eventually made it the end of the hall.

We walked into a circular room, with a single ladder rising up to the next floor. "See, we're fine. Nothing's going to hurt us here. We'll get out of here and go...somewhere. Maybe we can journey to Astora...I think we owe Oscar that much."

Resa nodded, looking back towards the ladder. "That does sound nice...we've only ever known Thorolund, but there's no chance we'd be allowed to return there. Come on, let's keep going. We'll get out of here soon.

I began climbing up the ladder, my arms barely able to hold my own body weight. I don't understand why I felt so...so weak. In Thorolund I'd been one of the strongest knights in our ranks, capable of wielding weapons others could only dream of. Now...now the hilt of a broadsword seemed like it was heavier than a greatsword used to be. To say it was demoralizing was...inadequate.

Resa ascended the ladder behind me, and eventually the two of us made it into a courtyard of some sort. In the center of it sat a single, dim, bonfire, embers dancing around in the open air. Cautiously I advanced toward it, the barest hint of heat that was still radiating from it far more enticing than the chilled air all around us.

I extended my hand out as I approached the bonfire, desperate for more warmth. I felt a sudden twinge, not painful, as I did so, and the bonfire seemed to burst back into life, the once-dim fire now warming my entire body. The feeling was invigorating...no...intoxicating. I turned back to Resa and motioned her onwards, anxious to let her enjoy the lone heat in this desolate prison.

"Let's just stay here for a while, Flynn. It feels so...so good." I could tell she enjoyed the feeling just as much as I did, the fire warming our bodies and minds, bringing with it a strange sense of comfort that I'd never experienced before. I didn't want to leave, and I knew she didn't either.

I can't remember how long we sat there, the two of us huddled next to the fire. Eventually I turned back to her, seeing her hollowed form asleep on the ground. "Resa...Resa wake up. Let's get out of here. There can't be that much more of this place until we're outside."

"But...why do we need to leave? It's so nice right here, is it not? It's cold everywhere else...I don't like the cold." It was hard to disagree with her...the warmth drew me in just as much, but I knew that if I let it take hold, like it was for Resa, we'd never leave here.

"Sister, you said we would journey to Astora, no? We can't do that if we stay here. I agree, the warmth is...nice, but we need to be moving." I was trying to convince myself of this more than anything, and seeing my sister content next to the fire made it even more difficult for me to try and remove her from here.

I stood up, finding myself much lighter on my feet now than previously. Perhaps it was the bonfire...did it restore strength? Whatever it was, though I still looked withered, I felt as strong as I was back in Thorolund, the dagger in my hand now light as a feather. Using this to my advantage, I knelt down and took Resa by the hand, lifting her up.

"Flynn...okay. But we have to return, understand? It just feels so nice next to the fire." It seemed like Resa was back to her hold self as well, able to hold herself far better than she just had been.

I responded with a nod, and began looking around the courtyard. There were two doors leading out of the area, a smaller one to our right and a much larger one straight ahead. I tried the smaller door first, but found it to be bolted shut. I shook it, able to actually rattle the door as opposed to my own body, but found it to be firmly locked in place. I turned back to Resa, who had moved back to huddle around the bonfire.

"Resa...come on."

It seemed as if I'd awoken her from a slumber by the way she jumped when I said her name, looking up at me. "Yes, I know...I don't know what compelled me...it just seemed so nice. Where are we going?"

"The only way out of here is the large doors. Hopefully that's the front entrance, or the back, I can't really tell. Only one way to find out." Taking her hand I advanced up towards the massive doors, which appeared to be rusted shut from years of no usage. I wondered how many other undead had made it to where we were now, how many others had managed to break the madness and exit.

I leaned into the doors with all my weight, managing to budge one the slightest bit before it stopped moving. To call it heavy would be doing it a disservice...I didn't want to know what kind of creature needed a door that was that large. "Resa, a little help?"

She walked up next to me and together we pushed against the door, this time able to move it with her help. It began to slowly creak open, the unbearable shrieking of rusted metal nearly deafening.

We eventually opened it up enough that we could slip through and what we found ourselves in was...some sort of common room? I wasn't exactly sure, all I knew was that it wasn't the outside. I looked to my side at Resa, who was just as distraught as I was.

Suddenly, a loud crash turned both of us straight ahead, to a truly terrifying sight. Up on the roof was...well, I wasn't entirely sure. It was absolutely hideous, with thick gray skin and a face not even a mother could love. It was holding a body...based on the garb it looked to be Oscar, and with a single swing of a massive hammer Oscar flew all the way across the room and back through the courtyard, where I could hear him crash into the roof. The beast then turned to the two of us and jumped down from the ceiling, a deafening roar piercing the crisp air. The monstrosity began charging at the two of us, and I looked back at Resa. "I'll distract it, you find a way out of here!"

The two of us dove to either side of the hammer as it came crashing down, the weapon several times my size and weight. I looked down at the hilt that I had been calling a weapon up until this point and back at the demon. I could see Resa running around frantically, the experience simply too much for her. She had never been much for violence, instead choosing to tend to the wounded as a cleric back in Thorolund. The most she'd ever had to worry about there though were wolves and the occasional bandit raid...nothing like the demon that was assaulting us now.

I took to the offensive, rushing forward to the beat and plunging my sword directly into its flesh. I did so several more times, doing everything I could to draw its attention away from Resa. Much to my dismay, the pathetic weapon didn't even seem to break its skin, the beast's thick hide far too much for the hilt to deal with.

The demon's hammer caught me off guard in a moment of weakness and sent me flying across the room, crashing into the wall. My mind went fuzzy as the world turned to blackness around me, and I fell to the ground. I shakily got back on my feet, my ears ringing from the pain, my eyes barely functioning as my vision darkened around the edges.

"Flynn! Over here!"

I could tell it was Resa's voice, and I shook my head around frantically, trying to pinpoint her location. I heard her call out again and I found her on the far wall, pointing towards a doorway. She was waving toward me, beckoning me towards her. As I began dashing towards her I stumbled, my strength failing me as I fell to my hands and feet, continuing to crawl towards her.

Just as I got halfway across the room I could see her face contorted in fear, stopping to look at me and instead looking behind me. I turned my head back over my shoulder to see the demon glaring down at me, its arms reaching back over its head as it bared the giant hammer. The head of the weapon came crashing down right on top of me, my vision immediately fading to black.

* * *

 **Resa**

"Flynn!" I cried out as I watched the massive demon crush my brother under the weight of such a monstrous weapon, annihilating him on the spot. I shut my eyes, the pain welling in my heart at the trauma I'd just experienced. He...he was gone. I opened my eyes, looking up to see…

The fire. I looked around, frantic, disorientation wracking my body. I was back in the courtyard, just outside the room we were just in. Right next to me was Flynn. He was staring aimlessly into the fire, his mind looking completely lost.

"Flynn, what happened?" I grasped his arm and shook him, rousing him from his stupor. He shook his head momentarily, before looking around at the room.

"I...I died, didn't I? That demon, it crushed me. I saw it, I felt it...how did I get here?" He looked at himself, and at me, before continuing. "How did you get here? Why didn't you run?"

"I don't know...I hoped you would. One moment I saw the beast attacking you, and the next moment I was sitting by the fire. Is this...is this what it means to be undead?" I stood up, helping Flynn to his feet, and looked back at the door. It was still cracked from when we had opened it previously...it seemed like the world was just as we'd left it. "There's a door on the left wall. Let's make a break for it, I can't bear to see that happen again."

Flynn put his hand on my shoulder, the look he gave me probably meant to be one of reassurance, but it was hard to tell given how marred his flesh was. "Resa, I'll distract it while you get in there. I'll be careful, I promise, and I'll bolt as soon as you're safe."

I gently shook my head, barely enough for him to notice. This was the Flynn that I knew, throwing himself into danger to keep others out of it. I knew not to argue with him like this...he was unyielding. I nodded, and the two of us advanced towards the massive iron doors again. I could already hear the thunderous footsteps of that demon from the other side of the doors. I slipped through the gap in the two doors and saw myself face-to-face with the demon once again. It began charging towards me, its massive torso making the movement somewhat awkward. I began rushing towards the left wall, seeing the doorway just barely within reach. I looked behind me, seeing Flynn glaring down the demon, the miniscule weapon in his hand dwarfed by the hammer that the demon wielded. He waved me onwards and I continued running to the door, watching as he narrowly dodged a swing of the hammer.

I reached the doorway and dove inside, finding myself in a small hallway. "Flynn! Come on!" He was still face-to-face with the beast, trying to look as intimidating as possible. He looked back over to me and immediately began running towards the door. The monster turned to him and craned its head, before starting to waddle after him.

Thankfully, Flynn made it first, diving into the doorway just as another swing of the hammer came crashing down. Dust and rocks flew through the hallway from the impact and I shielded my eyes, waiting for it all to settle before continuing on.

"Like I said, I'll be careful." Flynn got up and brushed himself off, knocking me on the shoulder playfully.

"I know you and I have very different definitions of careful, but we made it. Now, let's find a way out of there that doesn't involve dying."

Flynn's expression turned grim as we walked down the short hallway. "Actually, I think a fight might be inevitable. There was a massive door on the far end of the room with that...that thing. I saw a keyring wrapped around that beast's neck. Only way we'll have enough time to pry it off is if it's not moving."

"But, but no! There has to be some other way out. I saw you attacking that thing, you were barely scratching it. I even if we can't really die, I don't plan to spend my life attacking that thing forever hoping that we eventually defeat it. There has to be some other way." We walked up to another bonfire, this one as dim as the previous one when we first encountered it. I recalled what Flynn did when he first came up to it, and held my hand out. Just as before, the bonfire burst into flames, and I felt an awkward jolt in my arm as it did so, as if my very being was what lit the fire.

"Believe me, I am hoping for another way out as well. I'm just saying we need to prepare for the worst. Let's rest for a bit...we've earned it."

I took a seat next to the fire, feeling the warmth wrap around me like a blanket as I approached the fire. The flames flickered and danced before my eyes, drawing me further in. Something about the embers was...enchanting. The more I sat there, the less I wanted to leave, the simple flame somehow the most interesting thing I'd ever laid eyes on.

"Come on, Resa, we've waited long enough. Let's try and get out of here, right?" I shook my head, forcing myself to look away from the flames. He was right...I had no clue how long I'd been sitting there, but I knew that staying further could be dangerous. Without Flynn here...I might have never left. I stood up and nodded, grasping the makeshift weapon I'd left unused up until this point. Unlike the undead we'd passed earlier, that demon clearly had no problem with killing us...fear wracked my body. I knew that death wasn't the end, but that didn't make it any less terrifying. If Flynn could remember every detail of his death...I couldn't imagine the trauma that must cause to a mind.

"I scoped out what's ahead. There's another undead at the end of the next hallway, but this one's armed with a bow and seems keen to use it. I think I saw an alcove to the left. Let me block the hits so you can get in there. If it's dangerous, get out of there."

I put my hand on his shoulder, grasping it firmly. "Flynn...thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you." I smiled, knowing full well the expression was lost given how I currently looked.

The two of us advanced towards the long hallway, and I peeked out from behind him to see it for myself. Just as he had said, there appeared to be a lone undead at the end of the hallway. Upon seeing us, it raised its bow and notched an arrow, lining peering down the shaft of the arrow directly at us. I heard the snap of the bowstring as soon as the undead fired the arrow and both of us easily dodged it, the projectile embedding into the wall behind us.

I pushed against Flynn's back as the undead began to reload. "We've got time, let's just go." He began advancing forward and I followed behind him, staying behind the silhouette of my brother as he made a break for the alcove. I followed in behind him just as the undead raised its bow once again, the arrow that followed lodging itself into the frame of the stone entryway.

Inside, I saw the remains of two bodies. They had been stripped of all their clothing, the two undead only carrying one thing each: a shield. One of the shields was smaller and wooden, while the other was much larger and made entirely of steel. I didn't even get a chance to think further as Flynn knelt down and slid his arm into the straps of the steel shield. He held out his other hand that was holding the wooden shield, offering it to me. "Here, this should keep you safe if you ever get caught off guard. I know you won't want to use it, but please...for me."

I crossed my arms, taking the shield and sliding it across my arm. It fit snugly, and the weight wasn't anything unreasonable. "Next time, at least give me a choice please. Not that I'd be able to carry something that heavy, but...oh, you know."

Flynn chuckled, patting me on the shoulder. "Resa, I'm not going to let you get hurt, ever. If that means I'm going to be under constant attack, then that's a risk I'm more than willing to take. However, I've got to be able to survive that. If you really want this I'll let you have it, but you've got to be willing to step in and take a few hits."

I pushed the shield away, holding up my own. "You know me well enough to know that's not what I do. Now come on, brave knight, and be the stalwart defense you so claim to be." I held back a laugh, the two of us walking back out towards the hallway.

Flynn ripped the arrow out from the entryway and lifted up his shield, raising it to cover the entirety of his midsection. "Now, I know you're tired of hearing me say this, but stay behind me. I won't even feel a thing, he's got pretty weak arrows, and I've got a slab of steel."

He advanced out to the hallway and immediately blocked an incoming arrow with the shield, the projectile dropping to his feet. I slipped out right behind him as he began to advance, staying behind his frame. Several more times I heard the twang of an arrow go flying across the hallway, only for the shield to catch it perfectly. As we neared the end of the hallway I watched Flynn raise up his shoddy weapon, bringing his arm back and then forward as he lashed at the undead.

I hid my eyes, not wanting to watch. I heard the rusted metal scrape across flesh several times, each one bringing with it a howl of pain. It was necessary...if Flynn didn't kill him, it would be the other way around. It was such a different mindset compared to Thorolund, where I could simply tend to the injured as necessary. It seemed Flynn had adapted to it much faster than I had, seemingly holding no restraints on beating down the undead that was before us.

Eventually, the attacking stopped, and I uncovered my eyes to see Flynn, staring right at me. "It's okay. I know you're not ready for all this yet, and it's scary. I'll do the killing for right now, alright?"

I gave him a terse nod as a response, and the two of us continued on. We moved to the back of the hall and found two more bodies. As opposed to before, these were fully covered, wearing full garb as well as still clutching their weapon. One of them appeared to be a knight of some sort, wearing extremely heavy armor and gripping a rather large sword. The other, based on the clothes, seemed to be another cleric hailing from Thorolund. I recognized the yellowed fabric immediately, nearly identical to what I wore before...all this.

Flynn turned back around to me, motioning to the two corpses. "Alright, this one's your choice if you're still mad about the shields. Take your pick."

I knelt down, inspecting the two pieces. I lifted up the knight's helmet, grasping it firmly in my hands. It certainly had a good weight to it, and would offer plenty of protection. I glanced over at Flynn out of the corner of my eye, seeing him quite worried. I tossed the helmet at him, catching him off guard. "Did you seriously think I'd get in all that? I don't think I'd be able to move. Besides, you know I'm use to wearing those robes."

Flynn picked up the helmet, donning it and fastening it. "Thank goodness, I didn't know what I'd do if you gave me that cloth. Now let's gear up. With real weapons, we might be able to take that demon down."

I knelt down, reaching for the cleric's garb. It felt strange, putting on the clothes of a deceased man, but it was better than running bare. I donned the fabrics quickly, even bothering to put the mace that the man was holding into a loophole on the side.

"Hey, Resa, can you strap me in? I don't see how one person is supposed to put this on. The straps are all the way back there but the arms just...yeah." He was reaching his arms back, trying to fasten the straps that were comically out of reach. I walked over to him and tightened up the armor, the heavy metal plates all falling into place around his form. It looked heavy, extremely so. I was surprised Flynn was able to move around as well as he did after hefting up the broadsword, swinging the weapon over his shoulder. With the heavy armor, metal shield, and sword, he looked like an immovable object, a force that would go to any length to defend what was important to him...like me.

I pulled the mace out from the folds of my cloak as the two of us continued walking down the hallway, until it opened up into a central area. We were overlooking the central courtyard again, this time from the second floor. Flynn grabbed my arm, motioning over to the right side of the overlook. "There was a door that was locked down below. I'll go open it up, should give us a shortcut if we need it. Stay safe, be back shortly." He walked off to the right wing of the upper floor, the metal armor clanking with each minute movement that he took.

I looked over to the left side of the area, taking a few cautious steps over to peer around the corner. Up ahead was a broken staircase with a mutilated corpse hanging over the edge, a rusted iron ring embedding itself on one of its fingers. Nearly gagging at the sight, I turned back and walked back to the entrance. Flynn walked back up the stairs shortly thereafter, giving me a thumbs up.

"Looks like there's a third floor to this place. I didn't see any other way out of here. Might be worth a look. I'll admit, I'm itching to see what I can do with a real blade."

"Well then, after you, brave knight." I waved him onwards towards the stairs, ready and willing to follow after my brother. He moved over to the stairwell, walking up to the top level of the facility. I followed him up the stairs -

"Resa, look out!" Flynn turned around, splaying his arms to his sides I watched as a massive boulder began rolling down from behind him, colliding with him squarely on the back. I was frozen in fear as I watched the boulder continue onwards, crushing him beneath its massive weight.

* * *

 **Flynn**

I awoke next to the bonfire again, out in the courtyard. Resa was next to me, and I could tell that she was traumatized by the sight that she saw. The pain, the crushing pain...it had happened twice now, and I could remember each of them as vividly as the present. I could only imagine how it must have been for my sister to see it happen.

I stood up, slinging the broadsword over my shoulder. "Come on Resa. That boulder can't hit us twice, can it?"

I helped her up, diverting her attention from the bonfire. The door that I had previously opened was still as it was, and I walked up the stairs, back to where we were. I turned back to the stairs, advancing, but Resa tugged on my armor.

"Flynn...the boulder's not here. I'm not sure what's going on, but be careful."

I nodded, looking back up the stairs, and then down at my own armor. "I...I hate to put you in this situation, but could you check? I don't think I could get out of the way in time even if you gave me a warning. This stuff is just too bulky." I shifted uncomfortably in the heavy armor. In truth, it took most of my effort just to move in this stuff, I couldn't imagine rolling out of the way of something.

To my surprise, I found myself being embraced in a hug. "Flynn, I've waited my whole life for you to realize you can't do everything yourself. Yes, I can do that. If you want to go back to being my stalwart knight immediately afterwards, I won't argue. Now get out of the path just in case I've got to dive."

Begrudgingly, I took a few steps back to stay clear of the staircase as Resa took a few tentative steps forward. An instant later, I saw her dive off the right side of the stairs, down onto the stairs coming from the courtyard, as the boulder came rolling down again. The boulder plowed through the back wall where I heard a loud crash as it collided with something else.

Resa brushed herself off and moved back up to join me, giving an awkward smile. "See, no big deal. I can handle myself from time to time."

From my position I could still see over her shoulder, noticing that the hole the boulder had put in the wall had not been to the outside. I could see Resa looking up at me, confused. I pointed it out to her. "It looks like there's some sort of hidden room that got broken into. Might be worth our time before we continue onwards...down that hallway and we're back to where that demon is."

Nodding, the two of us walked into the small room, finding...Oscar. When the knight had been flung by that beast earlier, he must have ended up here. I looked up at the ceiling, finding a hole in the wall that proved my suspicion. Now, Oscar was halfway buried under a pile of rubble, only his head and arms uncovered in the debris.

I was pushed out of the way as Resa swept in towards him, taking hold of one of his hands. "Oscar...Oscar, say something!" I moved up next to him, kneeling down to be level with Resa. Much to my surprise, Oscar did manage to respond.

"I...I have done what I set out to do. I have freed the undead...please, hear my tale, so you can continue where I have failed."

I shook my head...I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Next to me, Resa solemnly nodded. "Please, continue, we will listen."

Oscar coughed, the action coughing a shift in the rubble, which elicited a groan from the dying knight. "There is an old saying in my family. Thou who art undead art chosen. In thine exodus from the undead asylum, maketh pilgrimage to the land of ancient lords. When thou ringeth the bell of awakening, the fate of the undead, thou shalt know. Now please...leave me be, but first, take this." The knight reached down into the rubble and fished out two odd, iridescent orange bottles. "An Estus flask...a staple of the undead. I hope it will prove useful to you on your mission."

My mind was awash with so many emotions, I couldn't even begin to process them. Confusion ran rampant through my head, the words Oscar just spoke making no sense to me. Next to me, I could see Resa beginning to tear up, her decrepit figure lightly shaking as the emotions took hold of her.

I took the two flasks and pocketed one away, holding onto the other to hand to my sister. I took Oscar's hand, grasping it in my own. "Knight of Astora...you have done us a service I will never be able to repay. I will return for you, when I am stronger, and I will do everything in my power to rescue you. Just please...stay safe." I didn't know if he could even hear my words...I didn't know if he could hear anything.

Suddenly, Oscar started coughing again, followed by grunts as the rubble caved in on him further. "Don't come back for me...I'd hate to hurt you when I pass. Now go, slay the demon of the asylum, and maketh thine exodus." His hand fell limp in my own, as it dropped down to rest on the pile of rubble.

I curled my fists, anger flowing through me. Oscar...he was a good man, better than I'd ever be. "You're not dying here. Not like this. You're going to see through your family's prophecy, damn it." I looked down to Resa, the tears still flowing down her malformed cheeks. "Sister...can you save him?"

She shook her head solemnly. "I wouldn't be able to get the chestpiece off to see the damage. There's...there's nothing I can do like this."

I looked at the rubble covering the knight, determination flowing through me. "You go search for something, anything, that could save him. I'm digging him out of this, no matter what. Please don't fight me on this, sister."

"I won't. I know that voice well enough to know not to argue. I'll search for something, just...be careful."

* * *

 **Resa**

I turned around, leaving the small room. Something to save him...I didn't even know where to start. I'd never done more than simple medicine and bandages. I'd only learned how to tend to slashes, pierces, and bites...not being crushed. Still, my brother was determined, and I wasn't about to let him down.

I walked up the stairway, searching around. Strangely enough, the hallway was more or less empty, besides the typical filth on the walls and floor. However, up ahead, I saw yet another corpse lying on the ground, this one completely bare. I rushed up to it, hoping that, like the previous ones, it could offer me some sort of help. I knelt down, inspecting it.

I only found one item on it, something I'd only seen a few other times in my life: a talisman. To the everyday eye it looked like a bundled piece of cloth, but I'd spent enough time around the wounded to see it used on occasion. They were capable of miracles from what I'd seen...capable of restoring life to an otherwise hopeless body. If there was anything that would be capable of saving Oscar, it would be this.

However, doubt crossed my mind...I'd never used a talisman before. I had no clue if I had any latent ability to perform these miracles, and even if I did, how I was suppose to. Still, I pried the simple item off of the corpse, and rushed back to where I'd left Flynn. He had already cleared a surprising amount of the rubble, exposing the majority of Oscar's torso. He was working on uncovering his legs now, removing the final pieces of debris from the dying knight. As soon as I walked in, he turned back to me. "Please...please tell me you found something. Anything."

I held up my finding, eliciting a curious expression from my brother. "It's a talisman. I've seen them used in the infirmary on occasion, but I'll admit I don't know how to use them. Still, I've seen them save lives that were otherwise were lost. Is he still alive?"

"I...I don't know. I can't feel a pulse on him, and I can't find a way to see if he's breathing behind all that armor.. I couldn't find a pulse on myself either so I don't know what to make of that."

"Okay well...give me a moment. I don't know the process for this, but if he's alive, hopefully this can cure him." I knelt down next to Oscar, slipping off one of his gauntlets as well as one of my own, holding his exposed flesh. I wasn't surprised to meet green, shriveled flesh, evidence of his undeath. It explained why he was carrying the Estus flasks.

I closed my eyes and held up the talisman, focusing all my mind on the man before me. "Gods, if you can hear me...bring life to this man. He is valiant and kind, and deserves more than what he has been given. Please, gods...heal this man."

I kept my eyes shut, tenderly holding Oscar's hand. I couldn't bear to look up, to see his limp body still lying there, my efforts futile. I'd done everything I could, and yet in my gut, I doubted it would be enough to save him.

Suddenly, I felt his hand twitch. It was nearly imperceptible, and I initially wrote it off as my own optimism. But then, I felt it again, this time more noticeable than before. A moment later and I heard him coughing, his hand shaking from the action. I looked up, tears beginning to well in the corners of my eyes. Was he...alive?

Oscar stumbled forward, but Flynn caught him, holding the Astoran Knight over his shoulder. "Easy, Oscar. Don't exert yourself too much, you've done plenty. How are you feeling?"

Oscar coughed again, his knees giving out. "I...I owe both of you my life. Tell me, what are the names of my saviors?"

I stood back up, brushing myself off. "My name is Resa, and this is my brother Flynn. Believe me Oscar, when I say that we too owe you our lives as well. Without you, we would have spent eternities in that cell. Now please, you are still weak. We will take you to a bonfire, where you can heal your wounds." I hunched down and took the Astoran's other arm, putting it across my shoulders.

With Flynn's help, we managed to take him back to the courtyard bonfire, where we were able to set him down. I took his hand, holding it tenderly. "Please, sit and rest. Take as much time as you need."

Oscar stared deeply into the fire, gently nodding. "Thank you, Resa. Please, slay the demon of the asylum...only then can we escape this wretched place."

I nodded before getting back. Flynn turned to look Oscar dead in the eyes, hefting his broadsword over his shoulder. "I will show it no mercy for attacking you. You have my word, knight of Astora." He turned back towards the staircase, motioning for me to follow him. I did so, gripping my talisman tightly. Now...now I felt like I had purpose, something I could do. I could heal, heal in ways I'd only dreamt of before. Flynn, Oscar, anyone...I could save the unsavable.

Flynn and I moved down to the end of the hallway where I'd found the talisman, and rounded the corner. On the other side, we saw three undead, one all of them armed with either sword hilts or bows. Flynn attacked them furiously, his broadsword and shield able to easily dispatch the relatively helpless undead.

Flynn turned around, facing a closed door. "If my memory serves me right, through this door will be that, what did Oscar call it, asylum demon? I know you're not much for combat, but I'm going to need your help if we're going to live through this. Keep me safe, okay sister?"

I held up the talisman, trying to fake confidence. "I'll do my best, Flynn, you know that. Just give me some space. I don't think that hammer is going to be as easy to dodge as the boulder, and it's going to hurt much worse."

Flynn hefted up his shield. "Actually...yeah, it hurt much worse. Anyways, let's go demon hunting." I was a bit put off by the grim comment, but didn't want to press the matter. Flynn flung the metal doors wide open, carving the path. I didn't even get time to react before he gripped the broadsword in two hands, and jumped down from the ledge.

I rushed to the entry of the door, my head nearly spinning. It looked like the entire third floor of the building had crumbled away, leaving me 15 feet above the first floor. Down below, Flynn had taken his sword down the demon's back, a trail of black ichor gushing from the open wound. Once he landed on the ground he brought up his shield, putting himself in a defensive stance.

I looked at the dizzying height, fear freezing my legs. I couldn't jump...there's no way I'd survive the fall. Still, from down here, I didn't know if my miracles would be able to reach Flynn. I'd been holding Oscar's hand when I healed him, but I had no way to know if that was a requirement or not.

I watched as Flynn and the demon engaged in combat, Flynn's shield somehow managing to sustain him through the brutal swings of the much larger demon. The way he held the shield seemed to deflect the blows that came down upon him, making them land effortlessly to the side. Every time, he'd dash in for a few quick hits, each one causing more black ichor to spout from the stabs.

Suddenly, the demon began lifting itself off the ground. I looked at its back… it had tiny wings, wings that gave it no right to be able to fly, and yet here it was, defying everything I'd ever seen. A moment later and it came crashing down, causing an eruption on the stone floor that sent Flynn flying.

"Brother!" I reached out grasping for him, as he was sent flying into the wall. I could feel myself losing my balance, my reach throwing my center of gravity too far forward. I began falling from the ledge, and I whipped around, grasping for a handhold. I managed to grab onto what I was just standing on, but only for a moment, as my glove immediately began to slip loose. I fell crashing down to the floor, unable to stop myself.

When I hit the cold stone it knocked all of the breath out of my lungs, pain immediately welling up in my back from the loose rocks that had embedded them in myself. My vision was momentarily darkened, and once it returned, I felt adrenaline coursing through my body. The demon had turned to look at me, momentarily forgetting about Flynn. It raised up it's massive hammer and began bringing it down, right on top of me. I shielded my eyes, my body too paralyzed by fear to be able to do anything else..

"No you don't, demon!" I looked up, finding my brother over top of me. He held his shield up as he knelt down, the crushing weight of the blow breaking the ground at his feet. The demon lifted its hammer up again and brought it down, causing Flynn to buckle even further, the shield somehow managing to keep him alive.

"Not to be needy, sister, but I can't take much more of this - agh!" A third swing, this one horizontal, sent Flynn flying into a wall again. The demon turned to focus on him, and I took the moment to get up to my feet, grabbing the talisman I had dropped during my fall.

I was still alive...which meant Flynn was too. I held out the talisman, focusing on my brother. "Gods...please, don't let him die. He is my rock, my sword, and my shield...heal him."

I looked up, finding Flynn, still panting on the ground. Did it not work. I still didn't know the first thing about casting miracles, other than that I'd been able to do it once. I saw the demon raising up it's hammer once again, poised and ready to send my brother to the afterlife yet again.

Just as the hammer started descending, Flynn tucked his arms by his side, throwing his weight towards the demon as he started to roll towards it. "Much obliged, sister!"

A layer of panic dropped from my shoulders as Flynn narrowly avoided the swing, moving to stand near the demon's feet. So I could protect him from afar...that was reassuring. Flynn moved to stand up near the demon's feet, taking the moment to puncture its flesh even further with his broadsword. The demon was started to look pretty worse for wear at this point, the numerous wounds on its legs causing its steps to be clumsy.

Still, it seemed to holding its own, bringing another thunderous blow down on Flynn. He deflected the swing with his shield, diving in to get another few swings off on the creature. The demon let out a pained howl, its left leg collapsing under its own weight.

As it fell, Flynn continued his relentless assault, diving towards the demon's protruding belly and slashing mercilessly at the exposed flesh. The demon let out howl after howl, until eventually, it fell limp.

Much to my surprise, the demon seemed to dissipate into an explosion of white mist, until that mist started to draw itself towards us, seeping in through the pores of my skin, as well as Flynn's. The feeling was unlike anything I'd experienced before, invigorating my very core.

Where the demon fell sat the keyring, which had been wrapped around the demon's neck. Flynn walked over to it, picking up the hefty item. It had a lone key on it, comically sized at nearly a foot long. Flynn walked over to the massive door on the far side of the room, lifting up the key.

While he did that, I noticed something else on the floor. It was strange thing, an odd, black sprite. It seemed completely harmless, so I picked it up, staring at it. It had no distinguishable features besides the black outline. I saw no reason to pocket it away, and so I did. Still...I couldn't help but wonder what it was.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the massive door screeching open, Flynn forcing the door open with all his might. Eventually, he managed to swing it wide open, and my heart leaped with joy as I saw the outside.

I walked over to him, having to resist the urge to walk outside and be free of this place. "Let's get Oscar...you did it, Flynn. You defeated the demon."

He turned to me, shaking his head. "No, we defeated it. Had you not saved me, I would have been dead, and we'd be running back here. Don't sell yourself short...I have a feeling I'm going to owe you my life numerous times. But yeah, let's tell Oscar the good news."

The two of us walked back to the courtyard, slipping through the doors we'd been through earlier. On the other side sat Oscar, still staring mindlessly into the bonfire. I walked up to him, looking at him. "We did it, Oscar. The demon of the Asylum has been slain. Tell me, how are you feeling?"

I extended my hand, helping Oscar to his feet. "I'm quite well, and I have you to thank for that, Resa. Thank you two for defeating that which I could not."

Flynn grasped the Astoran's shoulder, leading him onwards. "Believe me, its death was a most satisfying experience. With it gone, we can escape this godforsaken asylum."

The three of us walked onwards, out to the door we'd just unlocked. The outside was bizarre, a strange, grassy hill leading up to a point out in the distance. Numerous broken walls lined the area, suggesting that the asylum had been crumbling over the years. I turned to Oscar, looking around. "How...and where, do we leave."

The Astoran simply pointed up to the top of the hill, off in the distance. "I've seen ravens, ravens as large as that demon, roosting there. I believe they have a nest. We may be able to grab hold of one, and see where it takes us. Undead are delivered here by the ravens, surely they must lead us off."

I wanted to doubt him, but I didn't know what I could doubt anymore. We were undead, and that was new. Flynn and I had been reborn twice, something I'd have previously said was impossible. We'd just slain a demon so grotesque it was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. Though I might have questioned Oscar further, given the events of the day, I wasn't about to doubt him.

We took a few careful steps up to the top of the hill, eventually standing on an overlook. We were on the top of a cliff, a cliff that was miles above anything else. How that was built, and maintained, I wasn't about to question.

Oscar took a few steps forward, pointing to the lone bird's nest on the hill. "We wait here. The ravens will come...the prophecy of the undead must come true."

It felt strange, the three of us nestling down into a bird's nest. I don't know how long we waited, the three of us sitting uncomfortably close to each other, having to more or less curl into a ball to fit inside the nest.

I heard a caw in the distance, and then several more. I looked up just in time to see several sets of pitch black wings descending upon us, wings home to birds that were, indeed, as large as the demon Flynn and I had just fought. I was snatched up by one of the birds, Flynn and Oscar being abducted as well, the three of us being carried off into the distance. I blacked out from the intense speeds my body was being subjected to, as I was carried off into the distance.

 **Word Count: 8617**


	2. Chapter 2

**Flynn**

 **SL8 - 15 VIT - 10 ATT - 11 END - 12 STR - 11 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL6 - 12 VIT - 12 ATT - 10 END - 12 STR - 8 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 15 FTH**

 **Resa**

When I awoke, I found myself lying down on soft grass, the chill of the undead asylum having left my aching bones. I rolled over, finding myself face-to-face with a completely unmarred view of a cloudy, blue sky that was overhead.

I sat up, looking around. It appeared that I was in some sort of...ruin? It was hard to tell. Broken architecture circled me like a ring, and it drew my eyes to the center of it. There, I found a lone bonfire, where Oscar was sitting idly. Near him was a lone tree, completely barren and likely dying - or dead. At its foot sat a lone man, human in appearance. He was completely covered in chainmail from his neck down, only his head being left exposed. He, like Oscar, stared into the depths of the fire.

I continued taking in my surroundings, finally finding Flynn. It appeared he had also blacked out from the journey, his body laying still a few feet behind me. I twisted around to position myself next to him, and gently shook him from his slumber. His body jolted forward, somehow managing to maneuver in the bulky armor. My brother sat up and looked at me. "Did we...did we make it? And where is 'it'?"

The man by the tree let out an odd chuckle, giving a single clap of his hands. "You're in Lordran now. Let me guess...fate of the undead, is it? Believe me, you were better off in that wretched asylum than you are now."

Flynn stood up, putting his hand on his broadsword. "What do you mean, 'fate of the undead?'" I hurried to my feet as well and grabbed his shoulders, pulling him back.

Oscar craned his neck around from the fire, looking at the two of us. "That is the tale I told you, the tale my family has carried for generations. It is known as the fate of the undead."

Flynn continued advancing towards the warrior but I imposed myself between the two of them, looking at the warrior. "If you know of the tale...perhaps you could lend us some guidance. If we were truly safer in the asylum, perhaps you can help us survive in this 'Lordran'." I was practically pleading, trying to hold my brother back at the same time.

To my dismay, the warrior again laughed, a hideous laugh rife with sadness. "Oh oh oh, a hollow one! Well, perhaps hollowing might solve a few of your problems, if not all of them. Now, since you were so kind, miss, I'll tell you what I know. First, there's not 'a' Bell of Awakening, there's two." He pointed his finger forward and up, off into the distance. "The first, is up above, in the church of the undead. The other, is far below the surface, in the ruins of the former city of Blighttown. If you wish to truly learn the fate of the undead...I'd suggest you ring both of them, heh heh heh"

Flynn pushed past me, moving up to the warrior. "What is this 'hollowing', you mentioned. Can it be fixed?"

"Oh oh, you mean restoring your humanity? Well, I suppose it is possible. The easiest way, if you can call it that, is to collect it from corpses. Believe me, you'll know what it looks like. The fastest way, though highly frowned upon, is to kill a fellow undead such as myself, and take my humanity." At this, he gripped the hilt of his sword, baring it down in front of him. "For a new visitor like you, the first option is far, far safer. In fact, another undead passed through here not too long ago...or was it? I thought he was fairly healthy, but then he threw himself into that well over there. If you're lucky, there might still be some left for you."

"What a disgusting man you are", Flynn muttered under his breath. He turned back to me, and then looked up towards the well. "Still, perhaps that fool is trying to help us. I'll investigate...please keep an eye on him." He patted me on the back, walking off past the fire and towards the well.

I took a seat next to Oscar, gathering the Astoran's attention. "So...where does Oscar of Astora go from here. I assume you'll travel to the church or to Blighttown, but which?"

He shrugged, looking upward. "I can see the church...which means that is where I'll likely end up. However, I don't wish to burden you with my company. You and your brother...there is something powerful about you two, and I don't wish to get in the way of that. I will journey on my own, but I do hope that we will meet each other on our travels, should our paths cross."

I put my hand on his arm, grabbing it lightly. "Oscar, I promise you will not be a burden to us. Please, accompany us on our travels...it may save us one day."

Sadly, the knight shook his head. "I'm sorry, Resa, but I must go alone. Undead like you and me...if we don't have a purpose, we succumb to the process of hollowing. You, and Flynn, are quite hollow, from your time locked away in the Asylum. My purpose...my purpose is to discover the fate of the undead. I fear that if I travel in a group I may lose sight of that purpose, and thus myself. You and Flynn...well, it's obvious, isn't it? Your purpose is to protect each other. So long as you are together, nothing will be able to stop you. Keep hold of that purpose, and never let it go."

Oscar's words sat heavy on me as the knight stood up, brandishing his sword. "For now, Resa of Thorolund, I will be on my way. May our paths cross in the future." He gave a solemn wave and headed off, bidding his farewells to Flynn as well. I could tell that Flynn was just as perplexed as I was, but didn't fight it when Oscar explained himself. Before long, Oscar disappeared into the distance, his journey begun.

Moments later, Flynn returned holding in his hand something that looked quite familiar. It was another black sprite, dancing about in his hand gently as he held it out. "Tell me...is this what I was looking for?"

The warrior looked up from the fire, squinting at his hand. "Hah! Perhaps you aren't as hopeless as you seem. Yes, that is the key to restoring your humanity. Simply cast it into the fire, and you will be restored."

Flynn turned back around to me, shaking his head. "Though he may be useful...I can't help but feel that he hates us. Anyways, time to see what happens." He held out the little black sprite over the fire, letting it go. Slowly, it floated down, eventually being wreathed by flames, until it dissipated. From inside Flynn's armor I could hear him gasping, choking, coughing...though I couldn't see any of it. I lifted up the visor on his helmet, the sight shocking me.

Flynn was...well, how I recognized him. His flesh, unlike mine, was becoming smooth and healthy, reverting back to how it once was. He reached up and took off his helmet, unveiling a mop of blonde hair that had previously been absent now springing to life on his head. Rapidly, life returned to his face, and his body, as his humanity was restored.

Once the process had finished, Flynn was speechless, taking off his gauntlets and staring at the pure, unmarred flesh he now possessed. I reached into the folds of my garb, finding the sprite that was the remains of the demon of the asylum. I thought back to what the warrior had said, about acquiring humanity. Perhaps...no, I didn't want to think about it.

Without a second thought, I tossed the black sprite into the bonfire, eagerly awaiting the changes that would take place.

The first I noticed was a weightiness to the back of my head, as if someone was pulling it backward. Having seen Flynn, I knew this was my own golden hair returning to me, flowing down to the middle of my back. At the same time, I could feel a healthiness returning to my skin, the wrinkles that I had been accustomed to seeing suddenly smoothing out and vanishing. It was like nothing I'd ever experienced before, my body engaged in a sort of stationary convulsion, my skin writhing as it returned to its prior state.

Once the process was over I simply fell back on the ground, breathless. It was odd...though I looked healthier, I didn't feel any stronger. Yet somehow, I felt more alive than ever before, likely due to the disparity of who I was yesterday...and who I was now.

A few minutes later of reveling in my new flesh I stood up, moving over to the warrior. "Thank you, sir, for your guidance. This is...well, wonderful, to say the least."

Again, the warrior gave that insidious laugh. "Hah, well, be careful with it. Humanity is a rather simple thing to lose, and yet oh-so-hard to restore. Best be safe out there if you truly wish to remain human. Now, aren't you going to go rush off after that friend of yours? He seemed quite determined to go ring those bells. I've never seen so many visitors show up at the same before...this might be quite interesting."

I heard movement behind me and turned back to see Flynn putting on his gear, standing up and tossing his broadsword over his shoulder. He took a few steps to stand between me and the warrior, glaring down at the man. "Listen, my sister may be willing to play your games, but you're starting to get on my nerve. Now I'm going to ask you a question, and I expect a straight answer. Who else is here?"

I grabbed Flynn by the shoulder and spun him around, glaring at him. I tried to keep my voice a whisper, inaudible to the person only a few feet from us. "Flynn settle down! He is undead, we are undead. I don't want to have bad relations with someone that can't die. Say he's able to best us, that means we'll keep returning to this bonfire and he'll keep hacking us to pieces. Now please, watch your manners!" I could tell my brother wasn't having any of it as he jerked his shoulder back towards the warrior, tightening his grip on his weapon.

The warrior simply laughed again, yet another unsettling laugh. "Heh, or what, you'll kill me? Oh my, I don't think I've heard that one before. Anyways, I suppose I can introduce you to the other folks around this drab little place." He pointed towards the bonfire. "Below us is what's known as a firekeeper in these lands. She tends to this fire and keeps it strong, but don't expect much conversation from her...or any for that matter." He then pointed off to his left, towards more ruins. "As for another visitor, there's some man...Petrus, I think it was? Seemed like some sort of do-gooding religious man. He's not been here too long...I think, but he has friends out and about. I don't really know what they're up to, nor do I really care. So long as this place is filled with peace and quiet, nothing else is my concern."

Flynn turned back begrudgingly, turning to me. "I'm guessing, given your propensity for miracles, you have an interest in seeing that Petrus guy? I myself am interested in this so called 'firekeeper'."

I nodded, looking over towards the ruins. I'd only cast a miracle twice, and yet it already felt like it defined me, gave me a meaning and purpose in Lordran. I wanted to protect Flynn, and make sure that we would both be able to survive whatever atrocities were in this land. If Petrus, whomever he was, was a man of the church, perhaps there was a chance that he would be able to aid me on this journey. I turned back to Flynn, nodding. "Yes...I wish to know what he might be able to offer."

"Okay, then I'll meet you back at the fire. If he does anything even remotely suspicious...just yell, and I will have his head."

I shook my head, glaring at my brother. "Flynn, not everybody in this world needs to be treated with suspicion. We haven't met anyone here that's dangerous, we haven't even seen any hollowed undead besides ourselves. Please, relax. I'll be fine."

Flynn let out a short sigh. "I...yeah, okay. You know I'm going to try and keep you safe, especially after seeing what exists in this world, and knowing you. I'll try and give you some room, but...it won't be easy for me."

I gave a warm smile. "Flynn, I know it won't be easy for you. We're in a strange land, with strange rules and even stranger people. If there's anything easy about this place I certainly haven't found it yet. Now go, talk to the firekeeper, see what you can find out. I'll go see Petrus."

* * *

 **Flynn**

I turned about, moving back towards the bonfire. I'd never heard of a 'firekeeper' before, and was interested to what, if anything, one was. This was the third bonfire I'd seen since I'd been turned into an undead, though the curious thing about this one was that it was already lit. I suppose, like that blasted warrior had said, it was the job of a firekeeper to tend to their bonfire...I wondered how many more I'd see while we were in Lordran.

I moved around the edge of the bonfire, finding a small staircase that led down below, where the warrior had pointed to. I followed it down, coming to another small, grassy landing. I continued around, finding the landing completely barren...until I turned back. There, carved into the area beneath the bonfire, was something I could only describe as a cage. Several iron bars had been wedged into the side of the dirt, trapping who I could only assume was the firekeeper. From what I could see, the firekeeper was a female, wrapped in dingy clothing, soiled with dirt from being trapped beneath the fire she was forced to protect.

I walked up to the bars and knelt down, reaching my hand through the bars towards her. She recoiled, pushing herself further back in the small hole that had been dug out for her, brushing against the back wall. I reached up and took off my helmet, trying to show my good intention. "Please, I mean you no harm...I just wish to know more about you. My name is Flynn, from Thorolund."

"Uhhh…" Her voice was raspy and pained, if I could even call it a voice at all. To my delight, she moved closer to the bars of the cage, though still just out of my reach, not that I could blame her. From what the warrior had said, many undead had likely passed through here over the years, and I doubted many of them were as friendly towards her as I was trying to be.

I put away my sword and dropped my shield, moving my hands back to my side of the bars. "I - I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be intrusive. I just can't imagine who locked you in here, or why? Are all firekeepers treated this way?"

She held up her hand, stopping my. She shook her head slightly, and then moved her hand to point back to herself. I tilted my head, confused. She scooted a few more steps and gripped the bars of her makeshift cell with two hands. Then, slowly, brought one hand back, pointing her thumb at herself.

I was starting to pick up on one thing...it seemed she was a mute. Her raspy voice, her visual responses...it all started to make sense now. Her hands retreated back inside the cell, crossing them over her lap. I tried to get a better look at her, her face having been pointed towards the ground this entire time.

"Please...I want to help you. I know you wish to be here, but surely there must be something else for you in this world besides guarding this fire. I - I can find you another fire, one where you don't have to be locked away to protect. Please, let me see you, who I wish to help."

She tilted her head up, just barely enough that I could see her features. Piercing blue eyes shattered my soul, framed by tired eyelids and dusty, silvery-yellow hair. Her cheeks were the only noticeable flaw of her youthful features, which were sunken in from countless years trapped under here. Her expression remained completely grim even while opening up to me.

"I...I will find you a home, one where you can be safe. Please, miss firekeeper, will you let me do that?" My heart soared with joy as she slowly nodded, and I couldn't help but feel like I could see the hint of a smile forming across her features. "Well then, I will do everything in my strength to do this. I...I'm not strong enough to break these bars, but one day I will be, and I'll take you to a bonfire, one where you can be free."

I stood up and donned my helmet, pain welling up inside of me at the thought of leaving the firekeeper here. I felt like there must have been something else I could do, something that would be able to aid her, but in my current state, there was nothing. I was strong, that much was certain, but even I couldn't bend metal rods. I trudged back up to the bonfire, seeing it with a newfound respect, knowing the pain its firekeeper was going through to keep it from dying out.

Resa was waiting for me there, talking with the warrior. She turned to me once I was within eyesight, walking over. "So tell me brother, what did you learn?"

"I learned that the firekeeper is keeping herself trapped here, doing everything in her power to keep the bonfire lit. I...I couldn't bear it, seeing her tucked away like that. I told her I'd get her out of there, someday, and take her to a different bonfire that she could watch over. I, well I hope that wasn't too much forward of me."

Resa shook her head, smiling. "Oh Flynn, always the protector of fair maidens, yes? No, I'm perfectly fine with you having a purpose...Oscar said that having a purpose was something all undead must have. Don't worry, we'll be on the lookout for other bonfires, ones that she could might like. I'll leave it up to you to determine that."

She gave me a gentle nudge and a sly grin along with the sentence. "Resa, please, we both know it's nothing like that. Now, what did you learn from Petrus?"

"Well, quite a bit. First and foremost, there's something in Lordran, I think we've seen it before, called souls...think of it like currency. When the demon back at the asylum died, do you remember that white vapor-like explosion? That was his souls. Anyways, everything in Lordran has souls, some drastically more than others. It's used as a currency, but also for self improvement. At bonfires, you can cast your souls into the fire, and grow stronger from the sacrifice. I...I haven't tried it, but Petrus seemed to know what he was talking about. Anyways, we hadn't collected enough souls for him to let me know what he had to offer." She pointed off behind her, towards where Oscar had walked off to earlier. "He said that the Burg there had a fairly high population of undead still, undead that had lost their way and gone completely hollow. There's nothing left for them there now."

Souls...a strange form of currency, and yet more? Interesting. I pointed towards the fire. "Well, if we gathered some souls from that demon, perhaps we can use them here. I certainly plan to."

I took a seat down by the bonfire, shutting my eyes. What the process was for this, I had no idea. I focused on my own body, narrowing in on my core. I needed to be strong, for the firekeeper. If souls could help me do that, then I would gather more souls than I knew what to do with.

As I was thinking, I could tiny, imperceptible changes in my body taking place. My muscles felt more condensed, as if I'd grown stronger. At the same time, I felt the armor feel less heavy on my shoulders and back, my body more able to carry the weight of the heavy steel. It was curious, the changes happening so suddenly, but they were still quite noticeable. I looked up, seeing Resa. She too, had her eyes open and looking at me. "I certainly felt something. My mind...it feels more pure, more receptive to the gods. I...I don't really know how else to describe it."

"Well," I hefted my sword up over my shoulder, the movement even easier than before. "If we're going to be marching through an undead town, someone's going to be doing the heavy lifting. I'm more than willing to nominate myself for that role."

Nodding, Resa looked onwards, towards the Burg. "Well then, I'd rather not have to dirty this mace any more than necessary. I promise, I'll keep you alive and fighting, so long as you promise to keep me safe."

I laughed, patting my sister on the shoulder. "What do you think I've been doing this whole time? Come on, let's go exploring. Who knows, maybe we can make it to the church and find the bell of awakening."

I walked off past the bonfire, towards where Oscar had left earlier. The two of us rounded a corner around the side of a cliff, a single narrow walkway with an endless drop to our right. I continued on, eventually moving out towards a larger area. Up ahead were six undead, hollows as it were, standing around a staircase. It looked like it led into a sewer of some sort, a long tunnel coming out of a massive wall to our right. I approached the situation carefully, raising up my shield. None of them were rushing at me, which seemed like they were more guarding this place than anything else.

I took a few steps forward, and two of them started charging at me. I brought my shield up as two rusty swords came crashing down upon my shield. I held steadfast, pushing back with my shield. The motion threw both of them off guard and I lunged forward, cleaving one in two with my broadsword. I whirled around towards the other one, lodging the blade firmly in its head.

"Flynn look out!" I could see Resa pointing towards the stairs, but I didn't have the chance to see what she was pointing towards. All I knew was that I felt searing heat wrap around my body in an instant, as if I'd just been doused in liquid flame. The fire didn't seem to dissipate quickly, the searing pain seeping through the cracks in my armor and onto my flesh.

I whirled around, holding up my shield as I advanced up the stairs. There was one final undead armed with a bow on the ground that I simply shrugged off, focusing on more pressing matters. I slashed at one more undead armed with a sword on my way up the stairs, withdrawing my sword from its gut. I looked up just in time to see another jar of fire hurled at me from the hollow. I held up my shield but the fire still broke through my defenses, pouring through the cracks in my helmet. My eyes burned from the pain, my vision clouded by the fire.

I charged forward, bashing the undead with my shield. I brought my sword down upon it, hearing the delightful crunch of its skull as my pommel came crashing down on it. With that done, I leaped down from the stairs on top of the bow-wielder, my blade sinking into its head. I rushed back up the stairs, finding it poised and ready to strike. Its blade bounced harmlessly off my shield, the weak strikes of the undead seeming more like a nuisance than an actual attempt at inflicting damage. I brought my blade up and then crashing down, slaying the last of them.

I felt alive - more alive than I ever had before. Back in Thorolund I was a fighter, but that didn't mean much. My targets were little more than wild animals or the occasional bandit pillage. These undead, an endless source of challenge...I didn't know exactly why, but the battles were exhilarating. They weren't particularly taxing, at least not yet, but I actively awaited when every battle would be a fight to the death...and a fight to avoid Resa's death.

I was panting, the adrenaline momentarily making me forget the searing pain that had been thrown at my body. As soon as all the undead were gone and I had settled down, the pain coating my face returned, and I let out a pained groan. Resa rushed toward me, taking a kneel at my side. I saw here hold up talisman, shutting her eyes momentarily. A second later, and I could feel the burns on my body healing up, the charred flesh on my face returning to normal. It was such an odd feeling, being the target of my sister's miracle, yet I wouldn't complain. The healing felt wonderful, as my wounds dissipated.

"All better?"

"Yeah...like you wouldn't believe. That stuff burns, but it's some sort of liquid. Seems like even all this armor won't protect me from it. Frustrating, but I guess it would be unfair if nothing could hurt me." I gave her a thumbs up, and looked onward, to the sewers. "Looks like this is the only way forward. Whatever's in there can't be worse than liquid fire, I hope."

"Brother, please try to be a little more optimistic when dealing with your own life...with our own lives." As opposed to before, I could tell she was completely serious.

"Alright, alright, I will. Let's keep going." I drew my sword and took a step into the sewer. It was cramped and drab, filthy water flowing across my feet. I took a few steps in, finding it completely empty. I continued onwards, towards the end.

"Uhh...Flynn...help!" Resa gripped me from my back, constricting me tightly. I turned around, wondering what the fuss was about, and it didn't take long to understand. A rat, nearly the size of a horse, was charging at her, its fur matted and blemished by numerous scars and warts.

"Resa, I...I can't reach around you. Duck!" She crouched down just as I extended my sword out, catching the unsuspecting rat squarely between the eyes. The beast seemed to shrug it off, however, as it whipped its head back, along with my sword. I was drug along with it, my grip on the broadsword too sturdy to be shaken loose. I was drug backwards, landing directly on top of Resa. I continued being drug backwards, my grip on my sword eventually failing.

Beneath me, I could hear Resa crying out in pain, my entire weight likely crushing her. I rushed forward on all fours, chasing after the insidious beast. I leaped forward and gripped my sword, continuing to sail across its back. The motion drug my sword backward, ripping through the sewer rat. The beast fell limp, until exploding into a shower of souls. I retrieved my sword, looking up towards Resa. "Are you...okay?"

She gave a halfhearted thumbs-up from the ground, still regaining her composure. "Yeah, I'm going to be fine. Just...didn't think I'd have to get up close and personal with my brother like that. Let's try and avoid that in the future...you're heavy."

"You know, you don't seem too appreciative for the man that just saved your life." I smiled, realizing the gesture was hidden behind my helmet. "Sorry about that, though. I didn't see that thing when we got in here. Let's keep on going." I helped her to her feet, as we continued down the sewers. Besides the rat it was completely empty, and we took a staircase that was to our left. It was only a short walk until we were up to the next floor, continuing our journey.

There were a few more hollows up here, none of which were able to pose any meaningful threat. They attacked so mindlessly and without coordination, it was like fighting children. I still waited for a true fight, one that didn't feel simplistic. I continued onwards, past a house to our left, and into one ahead of us. It was completely empty, and so the two of us continued upwards, finding a staircase up to further in the Burg.

I turned back to see Resa, still following behind. It didn't feel right...just dragging her along like this. She was my sister, and yet it felt like she was simply around to keep me alive whenever I made careless mistakes. I turned around, taking a seat on the stairs, gathering her attention.

"What's the matter, Flynn?"

"Well, to be honest, and don't take this poorly, but you. I...I feel like I'm just bringing you with me. I just want to know, what makes you want to keep with me on this, besides familial ties?"

She tilted her head for a moment, deep in thought. "Is that not enough, to just want to keep you safe? I mean, yes, I'd love it if I could assist you some other way, but you're doing a fantastic job, and I'm not nearly as strong as you. Maybe soon there'll be some way for me to help you meaningfully, but for now I'm content to simply keep you going strong." She reached into the folds of her garments, pulling out the strange Estus flask that Oscar had given us earlier. "I've been wondering what this does, exactly. I haven't had a chance to try it. You look like you took a beating after that rat, want to give it a try?"

I reached into my armor, finding the flask. I lifted up my visor and took a swig of it, the glowing liquid sliding down my throat. It felt...rejuvenating, as if Resa had just blessed me with a miracle.

My sister eyed me, looking at the flask in my hand. "So, Oscar called it, what, 'a staple of the undead'? What's it do?"

I shrugged, putting it back in my armor. "I, I guess I feel a little stronger, but nothing major. I don't know if I'm exactly using this right, but it doesn't seem all that revolutionary."

To my surprise, Resa flew forward, wrapping her arms around me. "Never change, Flynn. Just...never change."

I pushed her back a little bit, giving us some room to breath. "I'm sorry, but I don't follow."

She looked up at me, those green eyes boring into my soul. "Flynn I know what it does. I took a drink while you were recovering your sword from the rat. I know exactly what the flask is...but you still wanted me to feel special. Like I said, never change."

I let out a sigh. "Well, I guess you caught me. Even still, I'd rather rely on you than a bottle. If I'm in the middle of fighting for my life, I'd rather not have to go rummaging around for this thing, you hear me? Like you said Oscar told you, having a purpose is important for us undead. If keeping me alive is yours, I'm not about to take that away from you."

She smiled, a warm smile that could melt a glacier. "Glad to hear it. Now come on, let's see what's on ahead."

I took a few steps forward, leading onwards. We were exiting the building now, out onto some upper walkways. Far in the distance I could see a platform further on, several undead poised and ready to strike. I took the final few steps up the stairs, onto a sort of bridge.

I was immediately thrown backwards by a massive gust of wind, knocking me off my feet and, regrettably, onto Resa. A split-second later and massive, I suppose it was a dragon of some sort, came crashing down, its talons ripping into the railing on the bridge. It stopped and turned its head, glaring right at me. Underneath me, I could hear Resa scooting back, sliding out from underneath me and sprinting back into the building we were just in. I, too, followed her lead, swiftly realizing that this beast could swallow me whole without breaking a sweat. The two of us retreated into the building, where I found Resa huddled in the corner.

"What...what was that thing!" For the first time since we'd arrived in Lordran she had her mace drawn, holding it out in front of her and towards the staircase she'd retreated down. "We can't fight that! We'll never be able to fight that! What are we even doing here?"

I held out my hands, slowly moving them to her mace as I positioned it onto the ground. "Resa, calm down. We're alive, aren't we? If that thing wanted to kill us it had more than enough time to do so. It could have just been - "

"It looked right at you! How can you even say that?"

I craned my head around, looking back up the stairs. If the dragon was still there, I couldn't see it. "Resa, you've heard the tales of dragons, I know you have. So you know they can breath fire." I pointed up towards the stairway, and then down towards us. "If it wanted to kill us, we'd both have been charred by now. Now, you stay here, and if you find yourself back at the bonfire...you'll know it's not gone."

I turned around but I felt her grab my leg, nearly knocking me over. "Flynn, I'm not leaving your side. If there are creatures like that just flying around, there's no way either of us are going to survive this on our own. That being said, if that dragon comes back I might not stay long."

I helped her up, both of us to our feet once again. "It's gone. Like I was going to say, it's probably just passing through on its way to its home." I stepped back up to where the dragon was, peering around. It didn't seem to be anywhere, so I motioned Resa forward. We continued on the bridge, making it up to another platform. Several more undead were here, including interesting one up on a platform further ahead. It was armed with a bow, and yet that wasn't what drew my attention - it was the apparel. All of the undead we'd seen up to this point looked like they had been commoners, wearing simple clothing. However, this one...it was wearing what could only have been the armor of a warrior. The pieces were extremely rusted now, that much was obvious, but the metal helmet, chestplate, gauntlets, and greaves...those were not something a civilian would wear.

The hollow drew back its bow and pointed it straight at me, still giving me more than enough time to ready my shield. The arrow that followed was completely nullified, my shield far too thick for a simple arrow to break through my defenses.

I advanced onward, taking on one of the undead on the main floor. This one still wore the clothes of a commoner, and it took one wild swing that I easily sidestepped to its left. The slash made it wide open, and I took the opportunity to plunge my sword through its back.

I felt another arrow come flying at me, this one I couldn't see due to my positioning. However, I could feel it in my shoulder, the arrow able to pierce my armor and lodge itself in my flesh. My arm screamed out in pain as I retrieved my sword from the back of the undead, the body dropping to the ground before exploding. I took a few more steps toward the archer, maneuvering towards more stairs, and a hopeful blind spot.

From as far back as Resa, was, I couldn't hear her warnings, or anything. I was focused on my quarry in front of me as I carefully advanced, keeping my shield up to deflect any stray arrows. That meant I also didn't hear when another undead came charging out from behind some barricades, rushing up behind me.

However, I did feel when its sword slashed directly into my shoulder, dropping me to the ground. I spun around, wrenching the sword from the hollow's hands, though that only served to thrust the sword further through my chest, until I could see it sticking through my chest.

And yet...I wasn't at the bonfire. Which meant I was alive. And if I was alive, I wasn't planning on changing that anytime soon. The pain was excruciating, and I wasn't about to question how I was able to get back to my feet, but I did. I dropped my shield and gripped my broadsword with two hands, charging at the undead that had gotten the drop on me. I felt another arrow lodge itself in my back...I didn't care. I swung wildly, lopping the undead's arm off. However, I wasn't finished. I kept slashing, taking off another arm, and finally its head, until it fell onto the floor.

Resa was standing just a few feet away from me know, a look of complete horror wracking her features, not that I could blame her. I reached behind me, searching for the hilt of the sword that had buried itself within me. As I did so, I felt one more arrow pierce into me, and I could see my vision dimming.

I looked at Resa, my vision blurry and dark. "I know this is a lot to ask, but I don't have much left in me. Would you be a dear and get this sword out of me while I keep these arrows from killing me?" I didn't even wait for a nod, I simply turned my back to her and held up my shield, preparing to block any incoming arrows.

I was thrown backward as Resa gripped onto the sword, trying to wrench it from my back. I braced myself, holding my frame steady as she did so. Thankfully, the sword came out cleanly, though I didn't want to know the mess that was left behind.

"Stay still...you need healing badly." I wasn't about to complain as Resa put her palm on my back, and I could hear soft mumbling under her breath. Moments later the wound began to close up, though my armor still had a slice down the middle from where I had been stabbed. "Okay...you're all good. Flynn. Please be more careful next time."

I turned back, holding my shield out just in case. "Resa, when am I ever not careful?" I felt an arrow bounce off my shield, and my sister simply shook her head in disappointment. I rushed towards the lone archer, dashing back up the stairs. The archer fired off one more shot, flying wildly off course. I lunged forward and bashed him with my shield, stunning him momentarily. I followed up with my broadsword, hacking him down mercilessly until finally, it too dissolved into souls.

I turned back to Resa, motioning her forward. She pointed to her right, my left, over to a separate platform off to the side. I walked down the steps, meeting her on the main platform.

"I can't tell exactly what's over there, but it doesn't look like it could lead too many places. Mind going on some exploring with me?"

I chuckled. "A little unlike you to want to go perusing, but I won't argue. Do you think you could fix me up if I get caught out again?"

She shrugged, holding up her talisman and looking at it. "To be honest, I'm not quite sure how any of this works still. It takes a lot out of me to cast a single miracle, I feel like the limit might just be my own exhaustion, in which case I can keep on going for quite a while. Just, try to get caught out in ways that aren't quite so gory. You don't want to know what your back looked like, believe me."

"Won't argue there." I started walking over to the secondary platform, spotting two martial undead armed with bows. They both fired off arrows at the same time and I threw up my shield, blocking both of them. In their tracks. I dashed forward, taking a few quick swings at the one on my left as I tried to circle around them, getting both of them back in my field of vision. I quickly chopped down the one closest to me, bringing it down. I brought up my shield as another arrow came flying towards me, and I swiftly closed the distance between me and my remaining target. Another flurry of blows later, and I had downed it.

Res came up behind me, and the two of searched the top of the platform. It was rather cluttered, boxes of various sizes piled haphazardly on top. I started chopping them down, hoping that perhaps there would be something inside. To my surprise, I ended up revealing a staircase leading downwards, hidden beneath the boxes. I pointed it out to Resa, and the two of us descended into the building.

The inside was oddly spacious...and quiet. That only lasted for a moment though as an undead came bursting out from the wall, apparently trapped behind two bookshelves. I whirled around and brought up my shield, still being buffeted by the swing. I brought my sword up from underneath my shield, catching the undead squarely in the ribs. I followed through with my sword, ripping further and further into his flesh. I didn't even have to retrieve my sword from his chest as he burst into souls around it.

I turned to Resa, panting. "You know, it would be a lot nicer if they weren't trying to hide behind random debris." I was cautious now, tamed by the second surprise, and I advanced through the lone archway with my shield held up, ready for anything.

What was on the other side of the archway was arguably the strangest sight I'd seen thus far. It was an undead, that was certain, but he didn't seem completely hollow...though he was close. Sprawled out in front of him was a large array of random items, mainly simple weapons and shields. I took a few steps toward him, refusing to drop my guard.

To my surprise, the undead simply waved, beckoning me closer. "Well well, you seem to be mostly sane. To me, that makes me you two a welcome customer. Souls are my currency, and it seems like you're carrying a decent amount. Here, let me show you what I have to offer." He unfolded some cloth, revealing even more random items.

I turned to Resa, lowering my guard ever-so-slightly. "I don't feel a need for anything else. However, if I could make a suggestion, perhaps a better shield?" I looked down at her shield, completely comprised of wood and fairly brittle.

The merchant looked down at his wares, holding up a shield. "This may be what you need. Very sturdy, holds up well against blows. Rather strong against fire as well."

Resa stepped forward, extending her hand. The merchant offered it up, and she took it in her grasp. I could tell she was quite satisfied with it, holding it up. "Well Flynn, what do you think?"

"Resa, I won't force it upon you, but I'd rather you find something made of metal. Wood doesn't tend hold up well against swords"

With that, she turned to the merchant, giving a nod. The merchant held out his hand palm up and open towards Resa. I watched with interest as I watched him, somehow, draw the souls out of her, into his own hand. "Thank you for your purchase. Now, I do have one other offering you might be interested in, something very nice for the adventurous sort such as yourselves." He turned around, standing up and walking to the back of his 'shop'. He lifted up a box, rather large, and dropped it down in front of us.

"I call it a bottomless box. Here, I'll let you try it. It's said to hold an immeasurable amount of goods, easily retrievable simply by thinking of what you want." He took a step back, opening up the box as he did so.

Resa took a few tentative steps forward, looking at the box. Even though it was no more than a foot tall, the inside was completely black, and I couldn't see the bottom. My sister took her old shield and placed it in the box, dropping it in. Though the shield was easily taller than the box, it fit completely inside, defying everything I'd ever seen.

The merchant simply clapped, clearly entertained by the display. "Now, reach your hand in, and retrieve it. Visualize it in your mind, and you will find it." To my surprise, Resa did so, kneeling down and reaching her arm in. Her entire arm fit into the box, and when she came out, the shield was in her hand.

She held up the shield to me, shocked. "I...I don't really know how, but what he says is true. This could prove invaluable to us depending on what we find."

At this point, the merchant piped up again, pulling out another small box. "The bottomless box and this repair box also have another curious property. They exist at all bonfires, and yet none. Simply take it to the bonfire on down the way, and you will see them at every bonfire that you come across. You have my word on this. Here, I'll even offer you a discount if you purchase the repair box."

I took up the repair box, looking down at the hole ripped through my armor. Though I had no way to prove what he'd said, he hadn't lied to us yet. I was still on my guard, every creature so far having had no problem with trying to chop me down, but at least this one marketed his wares well.

I held up the repairbox, nodding. "We'll take it, and the bottomless box. You run a good business." The merchant held up his hand and I felt the souls flow out of me and into his hand, the feeling somewhat unsettling.

I turned to Resa, motioning towards the wares. "Anything else, or should we be on our way?"

She held up her shield, looking satisfied. "Nothing else for me. If you're satisfied, let's be on our way."

I knelt down, lifting up the two boxes. Neither were particularly heavy, but they were bulky. In my current state, there was no way I'd be able to do anything besides move. I turned back to the merchant, recalling what he'd previously said. "You said there was a bonfire up the way...where exactly was that?"

He stood up, walking over to the edge of the floor and pointing off into the distance. He pointed out a massive bridge running through the center of the Burg, with a massive pylon in the midpoint of it that acted as support. "The base of the bridge has a bonfire in it, rather convenient."

I'd already come very close to it, back where the archer was. I was kicking myself for not noticing it, but at least it meant that we had a clear path to it. I thanked the merchant again for our goods. And we were on our way. We traveled back to the bonfire, setting down the two boxes we'd purchased by the bonfire. I held out my hand and illuminated the bonfire, the flame flickering to life. I dropped the two boxes and took a seat at the bonfire, staring into the flames.

 **Word Count: 8135**

 **Total Word Count: 16752**


	3. Chapter 3

**One note before I get started. Obviously, whether you were familiar with Dark Souls or not when you started reading this, death is not permanent here for our two protagonists. Thus, any physical danger from the world around them poses little true threat, as nothing here can truly kill them. Thus, it falls upon me as the writer to try and build two believable, attachable characters, and have most of the true tension in the story be from within themselves. That is what I really wanted to focus on when writing this story: developing characters that felt real and believable, and I'd like to know if I've done that. So please, feel free to leave a review, or message me, and let me know how I'm doing. I take feedback extremely seriously, and would love to have some on this newest work of mine.**

 **Flynn**

 **SL10 - 15 VIT - 10 ATT - 11 END - 14 STR - 11 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL9 - 12 VIT - 14 ATT - 10 END - 12 STR - 9 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 15 FTH**

 **Resa**

I looked up, deep into the flames around the fire, before shifting my gaze out, towards the Burg. We hadn't seen Oscar once while we were here...I was a little worried. He'd been quite confident in himself when he set off alone, wishing to find and learn about the fate of the undead on his own.

The fact that we hadn't seen him though...he must be quite strong. Flynn was a strong knight, that much was obvious. He'd been one of our best knights back in Thorolund, and he still managed to nearly die from the undead that were in the Burg. I shifted my vision back to him, hunched over with his chestpiece off, working away at the armor with the repairbox. I visualized the sword that had been thrust through him, the horror when he had asked me to pull it out of him. His back was a bloody mess, the light from the other side peeking grotesquely through the hole in his torso.

I thrust the image out of my mind, hoping to never envision it again. Still, Oscar was alone on his own, and we'd never seen him. That meant that the man that saved us from the Asylum had made it through here like it was nothing, otherwise we would have had to see him...everything I'd learned thus far pointed to that conclusion. We hadn't spent long enough talking to the warrior or Petrus to have let him get that far of a head start, and yet it seemed nearly impossible.

I noticed that the clanging in our little abode had stopped, and I turned to look at Flynn. His chestpiece looked as good as new, the magical powers of the boxes we'd purchased managing to restore it with ease. I'd already set my previous shield in the bottomless box, content with leaving it be. Flynn motioned for me to move over to him as he started trying to put the chestpiece back on, still unable to reach the straps on his own. I tightened them up for him, securing it around his torso again. The two of us stood up in unison, looking back out to the Burg.

"Are you ready, sister? I don't know how much further until we've made it to the bell of awakening, but I'm anxious to see what exactly we're dealing with."

I held up my talisman, the simple piece of cloth still my defining factor. "After you, brother."

I followed behind him, only making it a couple of steps before he stopped right at the doorway. I heard the familiar sound of an arrow clanging off his shield, quite perplexing.

"Sister...they're back. All of them are back."

I snuck a look around the wall, peering out. Sure enough, the archer that he had previously felled was standing there, bow drawn and ready to shoot. Down below, I could see the undead had also, somehow, come back to life, standing idly by on the platform.

Flynn ducked back inside the walls of the bonfire room, lifting up his visor to reveal his face. "What exactly is going on. I know I killed that thing, right? Please tell me I'm not hallucinating."

I shook my head. "I saw it too. Your armor was damaged, which means they were here. I saw you kill them." I looked over at the bonfire, perplexed. "When we walked in here, they were gone. We both can agree on that. All we did was sit down, and you repaired your armor. It...it has to be the bonfire, right? That's the only unknown."

"That was my thought as well. I guess we're going to have to be a little careful about using them too often, if everything we've ever fought gets another chance to take us down. I'm also willing to bet that if we return to a bonfire against our will, the same effect occurs."

"Brother please, can you not speak so idly about our deaths? I'd like to think we can make it through here just fine. You've fought beasts with more strength than these hollows, haven't you? The bandits back home had more coordination than this, I know that much."

Flynn looked off into the distance, before lowering his visor, obscuring his face. "Sister, you make for an excellent motivational speaker, you know that? Now, I'm feeling a little light on souls after our recent expenditures. Think we could use a refill?"

I let out a sigh as Flynn rushed out of the doorway, shield raised high as he charged towards the armored undead. His sword came across its neck, cleaving its head from its body. The head rolled a little ways before settling down, just as the body exploded into souls.

Oddly enough...the undead's helmet remained. I walked over and picked it up as Flynn composed himself, holding it out. "It appears your fancy swordwork got us a present. Personally, I'd rather not wear this dingy thing, and I'm guessing you're much more attached to what you're currently wearing. Want me to toss it in the box?"

Flynn shrugged. "We might as well hang onto it, yeah. Like you said, I don't plan on wearing that thing anytime soon, but who knows what the future holds. I'd hold onto it for safekeeping."

I walked over to the bonfire, carefully avoiding the flames as I knelt down to the bottomless box, flipping the lid. Without a second thought I stored away the helmet, shutting the lid and moving back out to Flynn. He'd already gone ahead, crossing a bridge that connected us to another house, and I rushed after him.

He took one peek inside and stepped in, drawing his sword. I ran after him, my brother's relentless pace probably going to get himself killed one day. I took one step inside the building and saw him nearly surrounded by three of the undead, with two more rushing towards him. He was backing up, towards me, trying to draw them out towards the bridge. I took a few steps back to give him some room, until he stood steadfast right outside the gate. Like lambs coming to the slaughter they rushed towards him, each one trying to push past the rest to be the first scratch him.

Thankfully, Flynn held steadfast, raising up his shield to block the strikes that came thunderously crashing down. He lashed out, thrusting his shield forward, managing to knock the front two undead over onto their comrades behind him. He brought his sword up before slamming it down, piercing two of the undead in the gut with one thrust. As they exploded in a shower of souls the rear-most undead charged forward, managing to catch Flynn off guard. The armored undead unleashed a brutal flurry of blows, each one slashing at my brother's armor, and judging from the blood tipping the undead's sword, his flesh as well.

I immediately held up my talisman, focusing my attention towards his wounds. I was becoming better at this, able to cast my miracles faster and with less stress. Still, I could feel when the casting had been completed by an ache momentarily coursing through my body, a small sliver of my strength going into the healing my brother.

Though I couldn't see the wounds, I could tell he was feeling better as Flynn lunged forward, bringing his sword high over his shoulder before going in for a horizontal swing, his sword lodging itself in the undead's hip. As soon as he wrenched it free he swung again, hacking at the hollows' midsection. It was a brutal display of gore, but by the time he had finished, the undead had been split cleanly in two. He whirled around just as I was about to yell at him, the last two undead starting to shuffle back to their feet. He let his sword fall upon them, just like all the others, ending them on the spot.

I shuffled forward towards the building, finding more armor on the floor. I recognized it as the leggings one of the armored undead wore...the one that he had cut at the waist. I walked up to him, my hands crossed in front of me. "Flynn...please tell me you didn't rush into that just to see if you could do more of your fancy swordwork. I see the armor, I know what you did...I'm not happy."

He held up his hands defensively, before pointing down at the armor. "I...okay, I wanted to see if I could figure this out, wouldn't you? That wasn't why I rushed off...I just thought I saw something. It looked like Oscar, but...like he wasn't really there. I wasn't really sure what to make of it, but I could have sworn it looked just like him."

I immediately backed off, my mind racing with ideas. Perhaps...perhaps Oscar was here, in whatever strange manner Flynn had seen? It didn't make sense, but then again, nothing made sense. Boxes teleported from bonfire to bonfire, which somehow brought to life everything we'd ever seen. I knew Flynn well enough to know he wouldn't lie just to justify his actions. I looked up, my expression softening. "Well, what did he look like?"

"He was...it was like a phantom, or what I'd imagine a phantom looked like. It was his armor though, that much I was certain. It looked like there was also someone else with him, someone I hadn't recognized before. I wish I could have caught a face, or something but...nothing."

A phantom...it didn't make sense, which fit my expectations. "Okay, well next time you see anything, don't go running off. You could have gotten yourself killed."

He walked up, grabbing my wrists gently. "Resa, answer me one thing. Why are you so worried about our death? We've both seen it, we can't really 'die'. We just wake up back at the bonfire. If we can't die, why are you so worried about it?"

I nearly choked...how could he be so insensitive. "Brother, I've worked and lived in the infirmary since I was old enough to tend to a cut. I've seen death...I've seen what people are like when they're dying. Sure, we may not be able to truly 'die', but that doesn't mean that we can't suffer, that we don't feel like we're dying. You've said you've felt the pain when you died, and you have to live with that memory forever now...how could I not want you to die?"

Flynn dropped his hands, surrendering. "You're right...I'm sorry. I can't promise I'll be more careful, but I promise I'll try. I...yeah. I'm sorry."

I patted him on the back, lifting his head up. "I don't expect you to be perfect, I know you enough to know that'll never be the case", I punctuated with a smile. "But if I'm worrying more about your life than mine, that's when maybe you need to take a few steps back, okay?"

He simply shook his head, and I could hear a muffled laugh from beneath his helmet. "I don't exactly know what I'm supposed to make of that, but let's keep going. Who knows, maybe we can catch up to Oscar, or his phantom...or whatever it was."

I nodded, delivering the leggings to the bottomless box before following Flynn out of the building. We wrapped around the outer wall of an adjacent building, coming up on some sort of plaza. I could see two or three undead at the back of it, all of them poised with swords and ready to strike. Up, to the left, I saw another armored undead equipped with a bow, firing off a shot that Oscar deflected with ease.

"Three up front, one on your left. Nothing you can't handle."

He gave me a thumbs up with his shield arm, before taking up his usual stance, slowly advancing forward. The three undead all charged forward in unison, swords brandished and ready to strike. The three of them each took different strikes, one from above and one on each side, and Flynn took a step back, avoiding all of them.

Suddenly, from the air, I saw them...the liquid fire. They came from the building we were standing next to, raining down on Flynn from above. The fire struck him directly on the back, seeping in through the cracks of his armor with ease. I could hear him cry out in pain from here, his back likely burning from the fire. Thankfully, he had already felled one of the three undead, moving around to have his back to the rear of the plaza.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. As he was dealing with the two undead in front of him, he took an arrow in the shoulder, throwing his sword swing wildly off target. A second later, and another ball of fire rained down on him, exploding over his helmet and down onto his torso. He was in danger...grave danger.

I thrust my talisman forward, focusing all my might on him. I prayed, prayed to every god I think of, praying that they could heal my brother's wounds. I could feel the strength sap out of me as I sent the miracle off, but I kept my eyes shut, still focusing on Flynn. I heard another gout of fire splash against the ground, and I couldn't bear to look up to know what was happening. Another surge of fatigue swept through me as I finished casting the miracle again, and I opened my eyes.

He was alive, because he was still fighting. Several arrows had lodged themselves in his shoulder, his sword swings erratic and uncontrolled even though I'd done what I could.

I looked up at the building next to me, seeing another ball of fire be thrown over the edge. Thankfully, Flynn did as well and sidestepped it, the shot managing to catch one of the two undead he was dealing with.

I had to take action...action I wasn't ready to take. I advanced upward and looked around the back side of the building, looking for some sort of way up. Thankfully, a ladder was clearly visible, and I ran towards it, throwing my hands and feet onto the rungs as I put all my energy into climbing up.

When I got off the ladder, I was on the roof of the building, two undead armed with swords turning their attention towards me. Doubt crept into my mind, doubt on whether or not I would regret my decision. I thought back to what the undead merchant had said about my shield, and how it was strong against fire…

I threw up my shield just in time, my thoughts distracting me from what was directly in front of me. The fire collided directly on my shield, throwing me slightly off balance. To my surprise, the odd metal of the shield seemed to absorb some of the fire, only small amounts being able to bypass the relatively small shield and contact me. Still, my skin burned away from the fire, the liquid dripping down my face and neck from the impact.

I was up here...Flynn wasn't, and I needed to be strong - strong for him. I rushed forward, pulling out my mace that had thus far gone unused, and brought it down onto the undead. I could hear the sickening crunch as I lodged the blunt tool into its head, fracturing its skull. I kept swinging, blow after blow raining down upon the undead.

"You. Leave. My. Brother. Alone!" One final swing didn't connect, the undead exploding into souls right before me, my swing dragging my center of balance forward and to the floor. I felt a ball of fire collide with my back, my poor stance leaving me completely open to attack. My clothes did little to protect me, the fire burning them away instantly and seeping in through the numerous tatters, ravaging my back. I cried out in pain but returned to my stance, rushing forward to the final undead. It was standing on a few wooden planks, shoddily constructed to extend the length of the roof. I took a moment to gather my footing, running forward to the final undead. I hid behind my shield as I saw it prepare to throw another one of those insidious balls, running into it with full force behind my shield.

I knocked both of us off balance, though much in my advantage. I fell backward, landing on the unstable wood platform, while the undead fell backward as well, off the side of the house. Two stories it fell, until I heard numerous bones shatter as it hit the ground. I scrabbled forward to look over the edge of the house, finding no trace of its remains...I had done it.

I looked over, seeing Flynn retrieving his sword from the body of the slain archer. I kept on all fours as I moved myself back towards the ladder, desperately trying to regain my composure.

I felt...dirty. I'd spent so long trying to protect the weak and save the dying, and yet I'd had no problem mercilessly attacking two undead on a moment's notice. Sure, it was to save my brother's life, but...as he said, it's not like his death was his real 'death'...he could have managed it on his own a second time, the surprise now negligible as their location didn't seem to change when we were at the bonfire. I didn't have to kill those two undead, and yet...I wasn't sure what to think about the situation.

I dropped back down the ladder. My hands sluggishly taking the rungs. I dropped down to the plaza, moving over to Flynn. "What...what have I done?"

He cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"I...I don't know. Please, just let me figure this out on my own. I'm sorry that I mentioned it." I looked down at my mace, the weapon now stained with blood and flesh, marring the previously-clean head. It would never be the same, no matter how I was from now on. I almost wanted to cast the weapon aside, but I knew doing so would be akin to suicide in this world.

Flynn tried to respond but I held my hand out, shaking my head. Not saying any more, he pressed onwards, seeing three armored undead huddled at the base of the next staircase. He cleanly dispatched all three of them, even managing to secure the gauntlets from one of them. I stuffed them away for later, not wanting to make a run all the way back to the bonfire to deposit them. He advanced forward, coming to a split in the path. There were two staircases, one headed upwards that eventually hugged the massive wall that we'd been following, and one that headed down, beneath the plaza. He turned around to me. "Left or right?"

I took a look at the two options. The left staircase led up to a massive tower, likely three or four stories tall by the looks of things, with several stories going below the staircase. The right staircase, in comparison, seemed relatively shallow. "Right."

Nodding, Flynn pressed onward, down the staircase. It led down to a singular hallway, one lone figure standing at the end of the hallway. It was like nothing we'd ever seen before, even with its back towards us. The knight, from what I assume, was wearing solid metal armor, far less bulky than Flynn's. However, from what I could tell, the metal appeared to be charred black, perhaps due to endless assaults from the balls of fire that were just overhead.

The most notable thing about it, though, was its height. Thus far Flynn had stood several inches above anything we'd come across, barring the demon of the asylum and the dragon, but the knight stood easily a foot and a half above Flynn, the two wings on its helmet nearly brushing against the ceiling. It stood eerily still, staring off behind us.

Flynn looked back at me, curious. "I...I have a bad feeling about this one. Second opinion?"

For once, I faltered. I wanted him to be careful, but, after what I'd just done...maybe he wasn't so crazy. "What you said earlier..about death not being the end. You're right. If it drastically outmatches you, it's not like it's directly in our path...we can just try to avoid it next time."

"Resa...we're talking about this when we're done. I'm going to try and lure him out into the open, since there's no way on earth I'll be able to maneuver down here. If I'm lucky maybe I can get a good stab at his back before he notices me."

I took a few steps backward as Flynn started moving forward, crouching low, his shield covering his entire front. His sword arm was poised and ready to strike, moving dangerously close to the knight. He got up to nearly two feet from it, easily within striking distance.

Flynn lashed out, his sword extending straight towards the knight. At the exact same instant, the knight whirled around, Flynn's sword colliding with a black, diamond shield. The knight then started an inexorable advance forward, sword crashing down again and again on Flynn's shield, my brother clearly outmatched.

Flynn turned tail, all his energy pumping into his legs as he sprinted backwards, out the stairs. I gave chase as well, running back up and into the plaza, turning around once I was safe. Flynn came running up the stairs as well, the black knight chasing closely behind him.

"I can't outrun him, Resa!" Flynn turned around just in time to block a slash of the knight's sword, and then another and another, each one shaking his my brother's arm. One final swing brought Flynn's shield crashing down, the final, thunderous blow being too much.

This...this beast of a knight...it was ferocious. It paused only momentarily, Flynn sitting completely defenseless, before continuing the assault. Now, with Flynn's shield down, the knight was cutting into his armor, each slash releasing bringing with it a cry of pain from my brother.

I focused on my brother's wounds, holding out my talisman. A wave of nausea swept through me as I cast the miracle this time, and I could feel my strength nearly depleted. Still, I could tell Flynn felt it, the blood trickling down his armor ceasing for the time being. He took a step back, distancing himself from the knight, momentarily regaining his composure.

I looked down at my mace, still sullied with the blood of undead. I...I had to help him. The knight was clearly outclassing him, making my brother no stronger than the hollows he had been butchering up until this point. Still, I couldn't bring myself to do it. It felt so - so wrong, to attack the knight. It didn't seem like he was hollow, based on his coordinated and precise strikes. The knight knew exactly what it was doing, which was slaughtering my brother. The undead, they were like the wild animals that Flynn had been dealing with in the past. Killing them, it still felt wrong, but in the end, they were just wild animals. This black knight...I couldn't bring myself to do it.

I was shaken from my thoughts by the sound of metal on metal, as Flynn momentarily went on the offensive. The knight blocked each and every swing with his sword, Flynn's attacks looking childish compared to the knight's. He made one final thrust, straight to the chest, trying for some last ditch effort.

I watched in horror as the knight brought his shield up and threw it to the side, deflecting Flynn's swing, leaving his sword arm wildly out of position. The knight followed it up, by a thrust of his own, the parry leaving my brother completely defenseless. The sword sliced right through my brother's armor as if it were paper, protruding cleanly out his back, coated in a thick layer of blood. The knight carried the motion forward, throwing my brother onto his back, the sword still lodged in Flynn's torso. As he fell, the knight ripped the sword upward, leaving my brother in -

I was sitting, back at the bonfire. My heart was still racing, the gruesome sight of my brother still burnt into my vision. To my left was Flynn, hunched over, his armor still in tatters from the merciless onslaught of the black knight. He turned to me, resting his hands on his knees. "Resa...what's going on. I couldn't focus at all on him because I was too worried about you. Now I'm not getting up from this bonfire until you tell me what the deal is." He set his sword and shield down behind him, accentuating the point.

I sighed, leaning back against a wall. "Flynn...okay, you're right." I paused, still trying to process my own thoughts in a way that I could convey to my brother. "Killing...killing has been easy for you here. You've spent several years doing it back home, it's no surprise to me that you feel no hesitancy here. You know that's not the case for me."

Flynn nodded. "That's true...forgive me, but I'm not quite following."

"Flynn, I just murdered two undead! I know that if I didn't, you were likely going to die, but I still did it! Didn't you feel any sort of remorse the first time you killed a bandit? I know, they're hollows, they're little more than wild animals, but that doesn't change the fact that they still look like a human. Flynn...I feel like a murderer." I held up my mace, finding it still stained with blood. "This thing...I've sullied it. I know it's an instrument of war, but I never wanted to have to use it as one."

"Sister...you're right. The first bandit I killed weighed heavily on my heart for a weeks. I can't expect you to be able to cope with it quickly either. However, I will thank you. Thank you for being willing to do something that foreign to you to save my own life. I...I understand. That being said, I have to be able to rely on you out there. You've kept me alive thus far, and I'll admit I'm starting to get a little reliant on you being there for me. If you're distracted with your thoughts, we might find ourselves back here quite a bit."

I nodded, lifting my mace. "You can count on me, brother. I know I'll kill again...I have to if we're to survive out here. I might not like it, but I know I'll have to. In the meantime, I'll try and deal with this on my own. Just be patient, for the time being. Now come on, I know you're not going to be happy until you've taken down that knight."

"Oh sister, you know me too well. First though, I'd rather meet him while my armor isn't in tatters. Give me a few minutes." He spent the next few minutes with the repair box, the tools restoring his armor to its initial condition. I deposited the armored undead's gloves into the bottomless box, looking at what we'd acquired. All that was left was the chest armor, and based on how we'd been acquiring the pieces thus far, I was quite skeptical on whether or not it was even possible to obtain the chestpiece.

Secondly, my old shield. I looked at my current one, still mildly marred from the fire it had absorbed. It had saved my life, that much was no doubt. The fire would have swiftly eaten through my wooden shield, leaving me completely open to attacks. That merchant...he had saved my life.

A few minutes later and Flynn was strapped back into his armor, and we set off. Our second time through the upper portion of the Burg was much cleaner, the enemy's tactics and locations no longer a mystery to us. I still had to heal Flynn once, the fire throwing undead, in tandem with the squad in the plaza and the archer above, too much to handle all at once. Finally, we reached the staircase down once again, leading towards the black knight.

"I'll draw him back out to the plaza again. Be ready for me once I'm out there." I nodded as Flynn descended down the stairs, and I backed up to the plaza. A few seconds later and Flynn was sprinting out, the black knight following close behind. The two began their deadly dance once again, Flynn now much more collected than previously. He was blocking every swing the knight threw at him, though the endless onslaught meant that my brother had little time to be even somewhat proactive.

Just as the knight dropped its sword after a flurry of blows, Flynn went on the offensive, carefully lining up his swings to try and target the knight's openings. Still, with as large as the knight was, the black shield was able to deflect every swing that Flynn threw at him, the knight having to do little more than hold the shield up. My brother took a few cautionary steps back, regaining his stamina.

"He's rough, Resa. I can't get any hits in. He hasn't either, but that just means we'll be here for a while." Flynn held up his shield to block another thunderous blow, the knight's sword landing heavily on the shield. Several more followed, each one managing to be deflected.

The dance lasted for several more minutes, each one failing to get any meaningful swing off on the other, the two of them locked in an endless duet of blades and blows. I could tell Flynn was getting tired, his focus waning as exhaustion began to set in. I looked down at my mace, still stained. I...I had to. Flynn wouldn't run, I knew that. Even if he did run, the knight would follow. We'd never escape it, not at the current pace. I had to act, even though it was the last thing in the world I wanted to do.

I pushed the doubt out of my mind, settling my resolve. It was necessary - necessary for Flynn. That was my purpose, wasn't it? In my head, it certainly felt that way. He was all that I had keeping me tied to this world, and I had to protect that.

Without a second thought I rushed forward, my mind screaming at my body as I did so. The knight's back was turned to me, and I was certain I could see a look of confusion on Flynn's features even behind the obscuring helmet. I leaped into the air as I approached the knight, my mace held high over my head. I brought the weapon down as I descended, straight towards its head.

The next sensation I felt was a dull pain explode in my stomach. I looked down to see the knight's shield there, as my entire momentum shifted. I was thrown wildly, my entire body being flung into a nearby wall. I wasn't injured, at least I didn't feel that injured, but my mind was still a cloud of emotions, each of them battling for dominance.

I looked up to see Flynn on the offensive, the knight's action against me leaving it wide open. Flynn was raking his sword across the knight's chest, each brutal strike leaving a trail across the armor. I had done it - I had turned the tide of the battle.

The knight wasn't down, however, the blood that was beginning to trickle down its chestpiece going completely unnoticed by the black knight. Still, it seemed that Flynn had confidence now, seeing the gashes that he had inflicted against his greatest opponent thus far.

The vicious duet continued, the black knight seeming to become more defensive after taking the brutal blows. It attacked more infrequently now, leaving its shield up more often than it previously was. This was good for Flynn, it gave him more time to assess the situation and regain his own stamina, preparing him for the next bout of blades.

To my surprise, the next move Flynn made was completely unorthodox, bordering on stupid had it not been successful. I lifted his back leg up, bringing it forward with surprising speed. The kick collided directly with the knight's shield, pushing the knight backward, widening his stance at the same time. Mid-kick, Flynn brought his sword upward, prepared to rake it across the knight's body. To block it, the black knight brought his own sword low, his shield currently having Flynn's foot firmly planted on it. However, it seemed like this was exactly what Flynn had planned on.

Flynn's forearm connected with the knight's wrist, and he drove his arm upwards, catching his upper arm on the base of the black knight's sword. The sword flew into the air, Flynn's disarming strike perfectly executed as he exposed the knight's weakness. Flynn followed the motion up fluidly, his sword coming harshly down across the knight's right shoulder, shredding the armor savagely as the clean motion finally came to a close.

However, my brother wasn't done, the knight still standing proud. Without his sword the knight had no choice but to go on the defensive, holding his shield up high as he tried to deflect each swing Flynn threw at him. However, with all threat gone from the knight, Flynn maintained a steady and even pace, each swing from his sword dropping the knight's shield a little bit lower, slowly draining its stamina.

Another horizontal slash from Flynn caught the knight off guard, its reflexes of blocking the swipe with its sword now useless. The slash caught it straight in the ribs, shredding the black armor even further. However, this time, it fell to its knees. Flynn wrenched the sword out of the knight's side a moment before it exploded into a shower of souls...it had been defeated.

My brother turned to me, clearly exhausted. It had been several intense minutes of combat, the two evenly-matched foes standing toe-to-toe for quite a while before I had to intervene. Rather than celebrate his victory, Flynn fell down onto the ground, letting out a moan.

"Resa...thank you. What you did, well, I couldn't have beaten that thing if you hadn't stepped in. Thank you."

I smiled, walking over to the black knight's sword that had remained on the ground even after the knight had died. "Well, due to more of your fancy swordwork, you earned yourself a new trophy. I'm willing to guess that was intentional?" I reached down to the sword, grabbing it by the hilt.

My goodness, it was heavy. I could barely move it, the weapon still sized for the much larger knight, looking nearly as large as some of the greatswords Flynn had wielded back in Thorolund. I put away my mace and grabbed it with two hands, finally managing to lift it into the air. I doubted, even with Flynn's superior strength, if he would be able to wield such a blade properly.

Flynn sat there, several minutes, regaining his breath. When he got up, he eyed the sword with interest. I held it out. "Good luck...thing's massive."

He took it in two hands, and I could tell by his reaction that it was far heavier than he'd expected. "Yeah, no kidding. Still, we'd be a fool to just leave it be. I can hold onto it for now and next time we're at a bonfire I'll drop it off in the box. I really, really want to be able to use this, but you're right, it's way too heavy."

I nodded, eyeing the staircase the knight had been standing by. "Say, what do you think is so important that a knight like that had to be guarding it? I'm curious, which means I know you are."

"Right you are, sister." I helped him to his feet as he positioned the new sword on his back, the weapon bordering on comically oversized in his hands. The two of us walked down the staircase, and found...a single corpse. It was completely naked and hanging over a ledge, and Flynn grabbed its legs, dragging it out on the platform.

I would have completely missed the lone item on it had the sun not reflected off of it, right into my eyes. On its finger was a single, small ring, the only item on an otherwise barren corpse. I knelt down, pushing away every thought that told me that no, this is wrong, as I slipped the ring off the body.

I held it up, out in front so we could both look at it. It was a silver band, dotted with a rather impressive gemstone. The stone itself was a sapphire blue, but carved into the shape of a teardrop. The light from the sun caught it beautifully, shattering into numerous directions through the stone.

I held it out, offering it to Flynn. "You felled the knight, to me that means this is your reward."

He held his hand up, pushing it back towards me. "And yet, you pushed aside all your fears to let me defeat it. To me, that makes this more of a mental victory for you than it was a physical victory for me."

"I...I'm not going to win this, am I?" Begrudgingly, I slipped the ring on my finger, the design actually quite attractive. I looked down at Flynn's hand, picturing it without his gauntlet on. He had a ring as well, oddly enough not taken by our captors when we had been dropped off in the asylum. It was made of copper, a strange inscription on its front where a gemstone would usually be. Nobody in Thorolund could read it, the ring being pilfered from one of the invading bandits from a neighboring land. Flynn had taken to wearing it ever since he'd acquired it, the strange runes always gathering his attention from time to time.

I walked back up the stairs, out into the split in the stairs. "Well brother, it looks like there's only one way to go now. I know you aren't going to find anything nearly as challenging as that knight, but please don't lower your guard, alright?"

He started walking up the stairs, shaking his head. "Resa, you worry too much. Like I said, I'm going to try to be more - "

Just then, a barrel came flying down the stairs, colliding directly with my brother. He was sent flying off the staircase, being thrown into a nearby wall. The barrel exploded at the base of the stairs, burning wood flying everywhere. I held up my shield, the wood falling around me.

I walked over to Flynn, holding out my hand. "Let me guess, the next word you were going to say was 'careful', wasn't it?"

"I...yeah. Listen, let's not talk about this for a little bit, sound good?" He grunted as I helped him back to his feet, brandishing his sword immediately.

"Stand still brother, you aren't going anywhere like this. You just got hit by a flaming barrel and your first instinct is to shrug it off...I guess I can't be too surprised." I cast another miracle, tending to his wounds. "Alright, you're good to go."

"What would I do without you, Resa?" He advanced up the stairs again, the undead that threw the barrel now completely out of tricks. The undead pulled out a sword, but Flynn swiftly dispatched him before it could do anything with the weapon.

I followed Flynn up, into the massive, circular tower. On the floor we entered on was a singular door directly across from us as well as a spiral staircase, wrapping around the inside of the wall. Flynn walked forward, trying the door, but finding it locked. He pulled out the one key that we'd acquired, the one that unlocked our cell, trying the lock. Unsurprisingly, it didn't open. He turned around, shruggin. "I guess it was a little optimistic, but I'm not surprised. Looks like the only way is up." The two of us started winding up the spiral staircase, towards the top of the tower. We climbed two floors, the first of which having nothing but a pile of barrels stacked off to one side. The second floor, however, had a door on the far end.

Flynn walked towards it, pushing it open. "Wow, it's heavy...man, this thing must be made of lead!" He gave it another push, managing to leave about a foot and a half gap between the door and the wall. The two of us slipped through it, back outside.

* * *

 **Flynn**

We stepped out onto the top of the wall we'd been next to, a tower at either end. The sides of the wall had almost completely crumbled away, the rubble strewn across the top of the wall. I looked off to my left, seeing another, large complex ahead of us.

I turned around. "Hey Resa, do you think that's - get down!" Up on top of the tower we'd just exited were two undead, armed with crossbows. Two bolts were fired off at the same time and I threw up my shield, barely able to deflect both of them in time. I looked around, seeing a ladder to the left of the door we'd just walked out of.

I pointed towards the door. "Find cover. I'll deal with these two." She nodded and we both ran back towards the tower, she running and kneeling down on the right side while I started ascending the ladder to the left. Up top, the two undead turned to me, still holding up their crossbows. Two more bolts came colliding needlessly at my shield, falling to the ground. I brought my sword down, dispatching both of them with ease.

I climbed back down the ladder, towards Resa. "As I was saying, do you think that's the Church? Doesn't seem that unlikely, but I've lost track of where we are, really."

The two of us started walking towards the other end of the wall. "It's a possibility. I feel like I see a bell tower at the top, which would make sense. Then again, at this point, I don't know if the bell of awakening is actually a real bell, or some sort of - "

She was interrupted by a large crash on the wall, and I turned my attention back towards the far end. There, on the wall, was...something. It was massive, probably pushing twenty feet tall, completely covered with thick, brown fur. However, its head looked like some sort of skull, as rocky, bony protrusions covered its entire face, two menacing horns wrapping around its head. The face had a certain bull-like appearance to it, and I would have studied it further had it not started charging towards us.

In its hand was some sort axe, made of, well, I wasn't too sure. The axe was as long as the demon was tall, and it came crashing down a few feet in front of me, the massive head of the axe nearly as large as I was. Adrenaline started coursing through my veins, this massive behemoth blocking our only way forward.

"Flynn, run!" I could hear Resa's footsteps as she started running away, but I couldn't let up my focus to see where she'd gone to. One wrong move and this thing would be able to flatten me. Resa had had a lot of changes today...experiencing her first kill, but that was against a simple undead. This, this beast before me...it was terrifying. I could only imagine what she must have been feeling right now.

The demon lunged forward, sending its axe crashing down. Thankfully, it seemed like the massive weight of the weapon was too much even for the creature that was wielding it, its swings heavy and inaccurate. I took the opportunity to lash out with my own sword, taking the chance to inflict some damage of my own. I would not go quietly against this creature...I had to be careful, calculated, and collected, for my sister. Two quick slashes and I brought my shield back up, preparing for the demon's next move.

The beast charged forward, lowering its head, the rocky skull barreling straight towards me. The beast was nearly as wide as the walkway we were standing on, and I had no option but to take the full force of the blow. I felt the beast's head crash straight into me as it threw its head upward, sending me flying. I crashed into the door we had exited out of, the momentum slamming it shut.

To my left was Resa, hiding in the corner. "Sister...we can't run, not anymore. By the time I could open this door again, well, I wouldn't have that much time. I'm going to try to distract it, you make a break for the far side.

"Flynn I'm not leaving you here. If you're fighting it then I'm fighting it too, however I can."

I pointed towards the ladder. "Resa, I'm not letting this thing hurt you. Climb up to the roof, and stay safe. I know you want to help but you're just not ready for this yet!"

My words stung...I knew they would. I didn't want to have to tell her off like that, but this wasn't the undead she'd killed. I was proud of her, extremely so, for wanting to take this beast on, but I wasn't about to live with the guilt of knowing I'd led my sister to an almost-guaranteed slaughter.

I charged at the beast, trying to by Resa some time. I couldn't look back to see if she'd listened to me or not, but I only hoped for her sake that she did. I lunged in low towards the creature, narrowly avoiding an overhead swing, taking the opportunity for a few quick slashed before returning my guard.

Damnit, if only this wall wasn't so small! I was use to maneuvering, being able to fight in open fields or forests where I had plenty of room to circle my opponent. Here, on the wall, A single horizontal swipe by the demon was completely unavoidable, my only solution to try and take as much of the damage as I could with my shield. Each swing of the demon's axe was a massive, thunderous strike, completely breaking my guard. Thankfully, due to the massive weight of the weapon, the beast was completely unable to make a follow-up swing, the only thing saving me from certain death.

Yet again, the beast lowered its head, charging towards me. I held up my shield, backing up as fast as I could, still keeping my focus honed in on the creature before me. I prepared for the blow, and the follow-up as I would be launched into the wall behind me. Unfortunately, reality was even crueler.

Just as the beast got near me it leaped into the air, two powerful legs launching the creature up, towards the sky. It soared over my head towards...the tower. I looked back, searching for Resa. She must have gone up top, as I couldn't see her anywhere on the wall.

My suspicions were confirmed when I heard an ear-splitting scream bellow out from the top of the tower, and I ran towards the ladder. I'd sent her up there, told her to be safe, and yet all I'd managed to do was lead her to her own demise. Just as I reached the top of the tower, I saw the beast bring its axe down, Resa's small shield doing nothing to stop the blow. She was sent, flying off the tower, back down onto the bridge.

I bared my shield at the demon, the two of us locked at the top of the tower. It had hurt her, and I wasn't about to let it get away with that. Thankfully, the tower was nearly twice as wide as the wall was, and I could circle around it, the extra space extremely welcome. Resa was alive...obviously, as I was still here. I circled around the demon, maneuvering to where I could look out, and see the wall. Thankfully, Resa was up on her feet, reaching into her garb and pulling out her Estus flask. I'd completely forgotten about my own at this point, so reliant on Resa to keep me alive through the battles that I'd never stopped to use it after my initial experimentation. Thankfully, Resa didn't seem to have made the same blunder.

The beast charged at me, dropping its axe low and swinging it upwards. I narrowly sidestepped, hearing the slash of the air graze past my ear. I carried my momentum around, bringing my sword down across the demon's leg, leaving a thick gash in its hide. I continued my relentless assault, taking several more hacks at the demon's leg, each swing carving deeper and deeper into the same wound.

The beast let out a howl of pain, and brought its axe up, over its head. I brought my shield up as well, prepared for the assault. The full weight of the axe came down upon me, my shield doing nothing to stop the swing. I felt my entire body pushed downward by the immensely heavy weapon...right until the floor beneath me broke. A sense of weightlessness overtook me as I fell down onto the floor below, my head ringing from the impact.

I looked up, my vision blurry, seeing the demon staring down through the hole it had just made. I scrambled to my feet, looking at the doorway out. I had been severely damaged from when I had been thrown into it, but my sister, and the demon, were outside...and I wasn't. I threw my entire weight into the door, barely able to move it a couple inches. It seemed that the hinges had been bent out of position when I'd collided with it earlier, and I threw my shoulder into it time and time again, struggling to break it open. From outside, I could hear screams, screams of terror as I no doubt had failed to protect my sister.

I felt strength return to me as my wounds healed...it seemed I would have to thank Resa once we'd gotten ourselves out of this mess. With newfound strength I bullrushed the door one final time, thrusting my shoulder forward. Thankfully, the door flew off its hinges, collapsing down to the floor. I look out, across the bridge. Resa was running towards me, the demon chasing close behind her.

Several thoughts coursed through my mind, and I settled on one, one that I would likely regret later. I tossed my shield to the side and gripped the door, a busted strap of metal from where I'd collided with it serving as my handhold. The door was heavy, obnoxiously so, but I lifted it up. I didn't need to be able to swing it, I just needed to be able to hold it.

A look of confusion crossed Resa's face as she sprinted past me, running back into the tower that I'd opened up. Following close behind her was the demon, lifting the axe over its head. I knelt down behind the door, bracing myself.

I heard the sound of the axe hitting the door, but I didn't feel it. The door completely absorbed the brunt of the strike, throwing the axe backwards from the recoil. I lunged forward, my mobility all but none due to my makeshift shield, but I managed to get several swipes in at the beast, earning a roar for my efforts.

The demon lowered its head once again and began charging towards me. I hunched down behind the door, bracing myself. As the beast charged into me I was pushed back, though not nearly as much as before. The demon continued charging, barely able to make me budge behind the wall I was holding. I wrapped my sword around the side of the door, slashing at its shoulders. Too stubborn to let up, the demon continued its senseless charge, and I continued wailing on its shoulder, cutting deeper and deeper into its flesh. Blood was gushing out of the wound now as I continued my assault, the demon either too stupid or too stubborn to see that its previous tactics no longer were successful.

One more swing and the beast fell down, the wounds too deep for it to continue. I remained motionless, not wanting to drop my current shield and leave myself defenseless should it still have life within itself. However, slowly, the demon began dissipating, converting into a shower of souls that flooded into both of us.

I dropped the door, the massive weight dropping to the floor. I'd done it...Resa was alive. I'd defended her, somehow, against the demon. I couldn't discount her, not for a second. I'd been thrown wildly out of position twice, and both times she managed to hold her own against the beast. I fell down on the ground, the adrenaline that had carried me through the fight starting to wear off.

I was only down for a few seconds before I could feel a shadow creep over me. "That was...well, that was something else, Flynn. I can't argue with its effectiveness, but...how did you even think of that? Here's this, by the way. You'll be wanting it when you're not lugging around doors wherever you go." She dropped my shield on my chest, earning a laugh from both of us.

"I, well, I don't know. This has served me well, and will continue to do so, but that thing was simply too big and too strong. I could shield the swings but I couldn't stop myself from being knocked back. I needed to level the playing field, I guess." I slipped my shield back on my arm, it feeling nearly weightless compared to what I'd just been wielding.

"Well it worked, I'll give you that. Next time though, warn me before you do something stupid." She helped me back to my feet, my wounds still making my bones ache.

"What is it they said back home? 'If it's stupid but it works, maybe it's not stupid'? I feel like that applies here, whether you'd like it to or not."

The two of us walked towards the far end of the wall, our enemy defeated. I looked out, towards what I assumed was the church off in the distance. We'd both grown today, that much there was no doubt. Yet, it felt like we'd just scratched the surface of Lordran, not even having made it to the first bell of awakening. This world...I was ready for it.

 **Word Count: 9181**

 **Total Word Count: 25933**


	4. Chapter 4

**Flynn**

 **SL14 - 16 VIT - 10 ATT - 11 END - 16 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL14 - 12 VIT - 14 ATT - 10 END - 12 STR - 9 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 20 FTH**

 **Resa**

I walked alongside Flynn, the two of us walking towards the tower on the far end of the wall. My mind was still racing, the encounter against that massive, bullish demon still emblazoned vividly in my memory.

Flynn had saved my life, of that I had no doubt. He'd done everything he could to keep me safe, even if it hadn't worked out exactly as planned. And that final moments, my brother barricading himself behind a door, shrugging off blow after blow of the demon's axe...it sent chills down my spine. Flynn had never really seemed to change tactics on the fly back in Thorolund, possibly because his targets never led to particularly challenging combat.

He was changing, I could tell. Maybe he didn't realize it, but this adaptability, in the thick of combat no less, was a drastic shift away from the brother I'd lived with back in Thorolund. I glanced down at my mace...I certainly was dealing with plenty of my own changing mentality as well.

Flynn threw open the door on the far side of the wall, and the two of us walked into a tower. It looked like the entrance to some sort of castle as we walked down the hallway inside. The walls around us had several open windows on both sides, likely serving as archer stations whenever things were normal around here...if they ever were. On the far side of the hallway was a staircase, dropping us down to the lower level. We emerged down next to the main gate of the entrance. To our left was a bridge, several undead quite a ways off in the distance. Directly in front of us was a single, lone door. To our right looked like some sort of platform, leading to seemingly nowhere.

Flynn walked straight forward, trying the door. It didn't budge, and the lone key we'd acquired still didn't do anything. He turned back, shrugging. "Go figure."

I sighed. "Flynn, that was used to unlock our cell. What kind of security would that asylum have if the cell keys unlocked something else?"

"Hey, you're thinking far too logically. After everything we've seen so far, I'm not willing to rule out the possibility." He stowed the key, holding up both hands, thumbs pointing outwards. "So, left or right?"

I looked to my left, towards the bridge, and then over to the platform to our right. "Well, last time there was a split in the road and we went right, you gave me some jewelry. Seems like a winning direction to me."

Flynn simply shrugged, and the two of us walked out to the platform. The sun shone bright overhead, directly in front of us. The platform had two staircases to either side, leading down to the edge of a cliff...a man standing out, looking over the side.

I turned to Flynn, skepticism across my face. He gave a slight nod and drew his sword, the two of us moving down each staircase. Even as we drew closer, Flynn's armor shook with each step that he took, my brother being far from stealthy. Still, the stranger didn't move.

I got within only a few feet of him, still without moving. He wore a bucket-like helmet, a single crimson feather sticking out the helmet. Further down, I could see plate mail covered by cloth, a white tunic with green, thick shoulders. To his side was a simple sword, nothing particularly fancy. If he was a threat, he certainly didn't look it.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I looked up, the voice not one that I recognized. The stranger turned to me, pointing off towards the sky. "The sun...beautiful, isn't it?" Now that he had turned to face me I could see the front of his armor. Emblazoned upon it was an image of the sun, a small, yellow orb with eight red streaks radiating from it. In his hand was a shield with the identical sigil.

I dropped my guard, the man seeming anything but hostile. "I suppose so, if you think it is. I see something that gives us warmth...what do you see?" He seemed curious, lost deep in thought even as we held a conversation.

"I see perfection...if only I could be so grossly incandescent. You see, I seek the sun. To be close to it, to find it...that is my purpose."

"And who exactly are you, stranger. Forgive me for being distrusting but there haven't been many things here that don't intend to kill us." Flynn was still holding his shield up, not dropping his guard. As the stranger turned to him I motioned for him to lower his shield...the man clearly meant to harm.

"Ah, I didn't see you there. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Solaire of Astora, a Warrior of Sunlight. As I said, I seek the sun, and to meet new acquaintances, such as yourselves. Now allow me to ask, who are you?"

"My name is Resa, and this is my brother, Flynn. We are from Thorolund. It is nice to meet another Astoran in these parts." I walked over next to Flynn, my brother still standing ready for combat. I put my hand on the top of his shield, politely trying to lower it. Thankfully he obliged, and sheathed his sword.

"Ah, it sounds like you've met Oscar then. Yes, he passed through here not too long ago, some other man with him. A curious fellow, really, all adorned with this shining, gold armor. He was quite standoffish, unfortunately, and I never even caught a name."

"Tell me, Solaire. Why here. If you wish to meet people, there is a rather bustling area just on the other side of the Burg. Surely you'd be better off, and safer, down there."

"Oh, I was there not long ago, but I have taken a liking to this place...the sun never sets, and the Warriors of Sunlight are just across the bridge. Rather perfect, truly."

"What do you mean, 'Warriors of Sunlight'?" He'd said that phrase twice now, and it was still completely foreign to me.

"Ah, yes, I suppose that would sound quite silly to most. The Warriors of Sunlight are a covenant - ah, think of it like a pact, of sorts. You agree to follow the creed set forth by the covenant leader, and in return they confer certain benefits."

I cocked my head, my interest piqued. Solaire seemed like, no, he was a good man. "And what exactly is the creed of your covenant leader?"

"To help others succeed, and brave the challenges of Lordan, my dear. I will admit, I was able to observe the battle you two held against that demon. This might be getting a bit ahead of myself, but you seem like quite a good fit."

Flynn raised his sword again, clearly perturbed. "And if it's your creed to aid those, then why did you stand there watching?"

At this I turned towards him, knocking his sword out of his hand. "Brother, calm down! We succeeded, did we not? Did we not grow stronger from facing that beast, just the two of us? Would you have prefered it if Solaire aided us?"

Flynn rubbed his gauntlet from where I'd smacked him. "That wasn't what I asked, sister. However...no."

I shook my head, kneeling down and retrieving his sword, Solaire responding. "Your brother is right to doubt me, Resa. It is true, I could have aided you, but watching the two of you fight...it was quite a spectacle, to say the least. I would have regretted it later if I had interposed myself in the synergy you two possess. And you, Flynn, during those final moments - I don't think I've ever seen a tactic quite like it!"

I looked back at Flynn, my glare saying more than words ever could. I turned my attention back towards Solaire. "And you said that your leader is just across the bridge?" I turned around, looking down. I wasn't sure, but I could have swore that in the distance I could see a statue off in the distance, in a room just on the other side of the bridge. "I will admit, I am quite interested."

"I am glad to hear that, Resa. Believe in yourself, believe in the gods, and I have full confidence that you will become a Warrior of Sunlight passed down through story and song for generations." With that, Solaire of Astora turned his attention back towards the sun, as if engaged in a staring contest with the celestial entity.

I took a few steps back towards the entryway of the castle, Flynn following after me. I walked back inside, waiting for him to enter. "What is your problem, brother?" I would have smacked him across the face had I not had the foresight to realize that it would have hurt me more than him.

He planted his sword in the ground, motioning with his arm towards the door. "This man has been standing there for who knows how long, talking about a covenant and the sun and whatnot, and you expect me to trust him? The man even said he didn't obey this 'covenant' that he speaks of, and yet you were completely willing to ignore all of it! So you tell me, Resa, what is your problem?"

"I could tell he was a good man. Anyone could have, except you, Flynn. If you don't trust him, so be it, but until he does anything meaningful that makes you think that, rather than your general disdain for strangers, I ask that you refrain from speaking to him. I, for one, fully intend to become a Warrior of Sunlight. If you intend to fight me on that front then we've got bigger issues to deal with."

Thankfully, he shook his head. "No...I don't. You know I support you, Resa, and if that's your wish I'll help you accomplish it. However, that man...I don't trust him. I can't put in words as to why but I don't. Now come on, let's cross. The church is that way anyways."

I shook my head, pushing the anger away. I didn't understand Flynn right now, but I suppose the feeling was mutual. The two of us were silent as we approached the front of the bridge. I advanced down it, now clearly seeing the statue that stood at the far side. I still couldn't make out the details yet, save for a faint glow near its base.

A few more steps out onto the bridge, and I could feel something was wrong...a chill in the air, a shift in the wind, I couldn't tell. But then, moments later, I heard it: the beating of wings, wings large enough to create small gusts of wind with their every beat. I looked behind me, back towards the entrance. There, swooping down from above, was a dragon, likely the same wretched beast that had terrified me when we'd first made it into the Burg.

I ran. I ran like my life depended on it, which wasn't too far from reality. I didn't look back, I couldn't, every strand of my strength being used to propel myself forward, down the bridge. Flynn remained oblivious for another half-second before he, too, started running. Even then, I could tell that he was overburdened by his armor, his strides heavy and weighted.

Up ahead, I saw my one glimmer of hope. A staircase at the midway point of the bridge. The sight filled me with hope, and I ran towards it with all my might. Behind me, I could hear the dragon closing in, each beat of its wings becoming steadily more audible. Then I heard another sound bellow out of it...a deep, low rumble.

It didn't take long for me to learn what that meant - it meant fire. Blazing, scorching heat pelted my back just as I neared the staircase, stopping me in my tracks. The pain was excruciating, unlike anything I'd ever felt before. The fire just kept coming, terrorizing my garb as it burned through my skin, the smell of my own burning flesh being the last sensation that I remembered.

* * *

 **Flynn**

I jolted, finding myself next to the bonfire yet again. I could still feel the pain of the fire as it tried to burn through my armor. However, more importantly, I could still remember the sight of Resa suffering that same pain, her cloth armor bearing no resistance to the dragon's terrorizing flames. It...this must have been that damned Solaire's fault. He'd told her to run across that bridge, knowing full well what was going to happen to her. I'd never failed to protect her thus far...but that madman, he'd thrown her into certain death.

I turned to my sister. She was still clutching her back, wincing. Even though we both knew the pain was gone, I could see that she still distinctly felt it. It was her first time perishing in Lordran, and I still remembered my first death - the feeling of that demon's hammer slamming down on top of me. For now, I decided I'd keep the blame to myself...I didn't want to fight with her right now.

I sat, patiently, waiting for her to stir. Eventually, she did, shifting her gaze away from the fire, and towards me. "Flynn...what happened?"

"That dragon lit up the entire bridge. Every last bit of it. I don't see how we're supposed to cross it, at all." In my head, I knew the answer: we weren't supposed to. It was a trap, that sun-babbling Solaire leading lambs to the slaughter for his own sadistic amusement.

"Well, we have to try, at least once more. The Warriors of Sunlight are on the other side, and it's worth the effort, for me."

I sighed...I wasn't even sure if the covenant even existed, or if it was all part of Solaire's master plan, to lure pure and innocent souls to their death for his own success. I bit my tongue, trying to be positive. "I saw a bonfire on the other side. Also, if I've got my positioning all figured out, the staircase you were about to go down is directly above this room. If we can get that far, we might be in luck." I stood up, pointing towards a crumbling staircase in the corner. "I've noticed a ladder up in the corner there, but I can't reach it. If we come at it from above, though, we can probably lower it. Might make it a bit easier to run the second half."

My sister stood up, flinging herself around me. "Flynn, you're the best. I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier. You need to trust Solaire, he's a good man. I can feel it."

Keeping my personal feelings to myself, I simply nodded, holding her up. "Alright, well if we're going to make a second run for your covenant, we've got to make it back to the bridge. I know I'm not looking forward to facing that demon on the wall again, but it's our only way forward."

She smiled, patting the side of my helmet. "Don't worry, we're strong, and we bested it before. I've full confidence in us that we'll emerge victorious."

Nodding, I hefted my sword and shield, as the two of us made our way back through the Burg. It was our third time now, and it offered little surprise. Locations had been revealed, surprises had been given away...it was simple. I longed for a fight with a black knight again, one where I could feel the surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins, the thrill of battle once again alive and real…

We made it to the tower with barely a scratch, ascending it. When we got to the top I saw the door still torn clean off its hinges. I took a step through, brandishing my weapons.

And then another step.

And then another. I kept on the entire length of the wall, not once spotting the demon that had been here before. I turned around to check on Resa, who I could see was equally perplexed. "We're thinking the same thing. Where is it?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe your smooth moves made it go look for easier prey."

I let out a chuckle, as we safely made it to the other side, and around to the main entrance. I turned towards my sister, pointing forward. "Alright, on my mark, we run. Don't turn back, don't stop and think about it, just run like your life depends on it, mainly because it does. You ready?"

"Well, seeing as if I'm ready or I'm not ready, doesn't change the fact that there's a dragon ready to burn us alive. I guess that means I'm ready."

I simply shook my head. "Alright. Three, two one - " Resa immediately broke into a sprint, throwing herself forward with all her might towards the far end of the bridge.

"Go?" I charged forward as well, several steps behind my sister, as well as going at a much slower pace. I pushed through the weight of my armor, trying to throw my weight forward. Only a few strides across the bridge and I could already hear the dragon returning, the beating of its wings clearly noticeable from behind. I looked forward, towards the stairs. Resa had almost made it, her head-start giving her ample time to make it to safety. I watched gleefully as she charged down the stairs.

I could hear the dragon's flame start to spew from its mouth, coating the bridge behind me. I was only a few paces away from the stairs...I had to make it. I had to.

I felt the flames coat my armor as I made a dive for the stairs, throwing my weight forward as I began descending. It was about as graceless as could be, my armor clanking and tumbling down the stairs, until I crashed into the wall. Bleary-eyed, I looked up, seeing Resa with her talisman out. Moments later, my vision returned and my wounds vanished, her miracle taking effect. She reached out her hand, offering it to me. "That's for running early...and because I you're my brother and I love you, but mainly because I ran early."

I took her hand, getting back to my feet. "I don't want to know what you'd be like if you were against me. Thank you, though...your miracles always hit the spot."

"Eating them now, are you? You really are becoming reliant…"

"You're impossible." I looked around the room, spotting another staircase going down. I followed it down, emerging right where I'd expect I would. Down, on the next level, was the bonfire, and I stood at the top of the ladder. I unhinge the bars keeping the ladder locked up, and heard it hit the ground with a resounding clang. I moved back towards the intermediate room, Resa standing idly. "Alright, hear me out on this. I know you're going to say no, but I'm not giving you much of a choice."

"I'm...well I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to think, but go ahead."

"I distract it. The dragon." I took a few steps out the third door in this room, moving out underneath the bridge. I pointed towards its tail, peeking out beneath the bridge. "I can draw it out. Maybe, if I'm lucky, it'll come down to me. This will give you plenty of time to run towards the bonfire on the far end."

"Absolutely not. I know you know this covenant is important to me, but I'm not about to let you throw yourself into guaranteed-suicide. I couldn't live down the thought that I'd become a Warrior of Sunlight by leaving my brother to act as dragon bait." She stiffened her back and crossed her arms, remaining steadfast. "Try again."

I started slowly moving towards the staircase back up, trying to make the motion feel natural. "You...you're not wrong, Resa. However, it's my duty as your knight to keep you safe. In this case, the only way I can do that, and help you to the other side of the bridge, is if I draw its fire. Surely you understand this."

"I do, and I'll admit I'm genuinely flattered that you're willing to sacrifice yourself for me, I really am. However, that doesn't change my opinion."

She wasn't going to yield...and neither was I. Sure, I doubted this covenant even existed, or any covenant for that matter. Certainly the warrior or Oscar would have brought them up in conversation. However, the only way for her to figure that out for herself was if she made it, and the only way that she'd be able to make it was if I ran decoy.

"Well...you're going to hate me later, but please don't let me die in vain." Without any hesitation I spun around, charging up towards the top of the stairs, and back out onto the main bridge. I put my shield away and pulled out my Estus flask...for once, I would have to use it. If Resa had to stop to keep me alive, then I didn't do my job.

"Flynn, wait!" I heard her, a lilting sadness in her voice. It made me falter momentarily, but I thrust onward, out to the center of the bridge. I waved my hands at the dragon, which was now resting directly above the far end of the bridge, right where Resa had to go under.

At the sight of me, the dragon perked up, its long, sinuous neck rolling upwards. The moment Resa made it to the top of the stairs was the moment the dragon took off from its perch. I ran backwards, towards Solaire, trying to give Resa a clear path to the bonfire.

The dragon came crashing down towards me, blazing hot flames pouring down over top of me. Without hesitation I turned the Estus flask back, downing the mysterious contents as fast as I could. My wounds were closing just as new ones were forming, a rather odd sensation that was equal parts pleasant and horrific. Thankfully, the flames sputtered out, and I was now face-to-face with the dragon. It was enormous, dwarfing both demons we'd seen thus far, each foot as large as my body.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Resa sprinting, down towards the bonfire...thank goodness. I knew there was a very real chance that she'd refuse to leave me, insisting to sustain me through a fight I didn't plan to live through. I slashed at its legs a couple times, my broadsword serving as little more than a distraction as it bounced haplessly off of thick scales. There was no chance I was going to survive this...I was just hoping that Resa made it to the bonfire before I made it to the bottom of my Estus flask. I turned the bottle up again as another gout of flame blazed overhead, guzzling the illustrious liquid as quickly as I could. Just as the flames passed, I could feel an odd tugging, as if my entire soul was being ripped from me.

* * *

 **Resa**

I held my hand out to the bonfire, setting it ablaze. As soon as I did so, Flynn appeared directly on the other side of the bonfire, guzzling from his Estus flask as fast as he could. I walked over to him, irate.

The back of my hand struck his helmet, and I ignored the slight pain I felt from hitting the metal. "Flynn. What is wrong with you? That wasn't 'protecting me', that was being brash and reckless. Now I want answers, not excuses!"

He sat down on the ground, tossing his hands up in the air. "What do you want me to say, Resa? Do you want me to say that I'm watching you grow more confident in yourself, because I can? Do you want me to say that I'm starting to wonder when you'll need me to survive, because it's true? Do you want me to say that I'm worried I'm going to go hollow once you're finally able to outgrow me, because that's crossed my mind too! So you tell me, what do you want me to say, and I'll say it!" He was fuming, his entire upper body shaking as he spoke.

I immediately retreated...I'd gone too far. Ever since we'd been in Lordran, Flynn had never lashed out at me like this, and it worried me deeply. "I - I'm sorry, brother. Truly. However, I do want to tell you just how wrong you are. I'm still terrified, terrified of practically everything we've seen since we've landed in this hellish place. I'm not growing more confident in myself...I'm still barely able to scrape by. If you left me right now...I couldn't survive. I couldn't even make it back to Solaire on my own. You're still very much a part of me, don't you ever forget that. Just please, Flynn, please be careful. You worry me sick whenever you go running off like that. Yes, you can't truly die, but I don't want you throwing yourself at everything we meet solely because you're trying to protect me. I will try and grow stronger, to help you in some more meaningful way besides tending your wounds. I'm just...I'm not there yet."

He sat up, taking off his helmet, revealing his face. It looked...terrifying. Somewhat reminiscent of when we'd first came to our senses in the asylum. His flesh was wrinkled and discolored, a sickly shade of green cropping up in patches. "After seeing you get your first kill, and throwing yourself at the black knight, and now, talking with Solaire...I've started to feel a little obsolete. I didn't want to worry you, but...I had to do something, something that would give me purpose. I guess I overdid it."

I reached into my cloak, finding a familiar black sprite. "Take this, and burn it now. I found after you slayed the demon on the wall. Flynn, you need to tell me when this is happening. If you were feeling that bad, tell me, and let me know what I can do to help you. We're in this together, and I can't let you go hollow on me, you understand?"

"Yeah...one moment." Flynn took the sprite from my hand, clutching it in his own. He tossed it into the fire, the tiny black sprite dissipating amidst the embers. Just as before, his flesh became reinvigorated, the wrinkles and blemishes smoothing themselves out. Within seconds he was back to how he was, just as he'd looked back in Thorolund. "Ah...much better."

He stood up, shouldering his sword. "Okay. I'm going to take a peek around here, see if I can't scope out anybody. If you get in trouble, I'll be on the other side of this gate."

"And if you get yourself injured, you know where I'll be. Don't forget, you're not the only one that needs to stay focused on their purpose."

He gave me his signature thumbs up, walking towards the left side of the room. He pulled a lever, and a gate that was barring the way. "Hey, Flynn, one more thing before you go." I turned about, motioning out towards the bridge. "There's a body, maybe thirty feet or so out. He's burnt to a crisp, but he's holding a rather impressive sword. Given your current propensity towards oversized armaments, I figure you might want to take a look at it."

Though I couldn't visibly see his reaction behind his helmet, I could tell it was one of intense curiosity. "Before I step out there, this isn't some sort of method to fry me as punishment for running off, is it?"

I put my hands on my hips. "Flynn, we just shared a moment. I'm not going to follow that by trying to get you killed. That's the exact opposite of my goal. Now come on, scram."

I turned around, looking at the statue before me. It was a mother holding her child, the baby wrapping its arms around a sword. The statue...it didn't seem right. A Warrior of Sunlight shouldn't be inside...it made no sense.

I took a step out to the right, emerging onto a grassy platform. Several undead stood around the sides, completely passive and harmless. In the center of the platform was a lone statue, crumbled from years of neglect, with moss making a thick covering all around it.

Something about this statue...it felt right. I stepped forward and took a knee, placing my hand on a crumbled piece of the stone statue.

"Are you...are you the leader of the Warriors of Sunlight?" I felt silly, speaking to a statue, but for some reason it just felt right, as if some force tugging at my head told me this is what I should be doing.

The voice that followed echoed in my head, both there and not there at the same time. " _Yes, I am who you say I am. Tell me, my child...do you seek to join my covenant, and become a Warrior of Sunlight?"_

I nodded, bobbing my head at the broken statue. "I - I do."

" _Then tell me, what is it that draw you to me? What makes you worthy of bearing the sun?"_

The question caught me off guard, but I had a quick response. "I...I love my brother, with all my heart. I couldn't bear to see him be injured or struggle. I've spent my every breath trying to protect him, but I'm just not strong enough...I need your guidance to help me succeed."

There was a long pause, until the voice returned. " _You have a heart of gold, my child. A heart of sunlight. I deem you worthy of joining the ranks of the Warriors of Sunlight. This is your creed now, my child: seek all those around you, and find those that are worthy of your help and protection. When you do, it is your duty to aid them, and help them shoulder the burdens this world has to offer. The decision is yours to make, and yours to carry out. It is your duty to choose wisely. Now tell me...do you still wish to follow the path lain before you?"_

"I do." I had no hesitation, as I responded. My brother, Solaire, Oscar...they were all worthy of aid...I was already willing to do whatever was in my power to protect them. The covenant felt like I was simply filling out the paperwork to have my achievements recognized.

" _Very well then. I bestow this miracle upon you, such that it may aid you on your quest: the Lightning Spear. Use it to strike fear into the hearts of your enemies, and carve a path that those you protect can follow. I have faith in you, child...use this gift well."_

I looked down at my hand, still holding the rock. To my surprise, there was now a thick piece of parchment interposed between my hand and the rock. Out of curiosity, I picked it up, unrolling it.

The inside of the scroll was filled with a strange inscription. My mind felt dizzying as I stared at it, the language on the inside completely foreign to me. And yet...I could understand it. It was odd, the ink on the page almost shifting around into words that I could read, yet only in my subconscious.

Suddenly, my head jolted back, a sharpness embedding itself in my mind. I peered down at the scroll again...I understood it. I new exactly what every symbol and sigil meant, even though I knew I'd never seen them before. I held up my talisman, lazily going through the motions that the scroll dictated. The miracle - Lighting Spear, like the statue had said - was fairly simple, requiring only a short prayer and basic gestures in order to execute. With a few faux cycles through the scroll, it felt as if I'd known the motions my whole life.

I stood up, facing the statue. "Thank you, leader. I will use this gift as you command, for the betterment of all undead."

" _Be careful, my child. Even to a Warrior of Sunlight, not all undead are meant to be saved. It is up to you to decide who needs your help, who doesn't, and who is not worthy of it."_ Just as the voice finished speaking I felt a moment of emptiness wash through my head, the voice leaving me.

"I...I think I understand." I gripped my talisman tightly, the simple cloth now feeling more useful than ever. Before, it was an instrument of healing, and that was it. And yet now, with the power of the Lightning Spear...it was my sword and my shield.

I spun about, facing the bonfire. It was time. I could be afraid...I likely always would be. But now, I was a Warrior of Sunlight, and I had to embody that. Fear would always be a part of me, but I needed to push it, bury it, hide it deep inside me. I couldn't let my emotions keep my from action.

* * *

 **Flynn**

I tossed around the new sword in my hand. Just as Resa had said, it was right at the entrance to the bridge, the charred corpse holding onto it not seeming too bothered when I picked it up. It was heavy, that much I was certain. I held it out, grip in my hand while the tip dug into the ground, alongside my broadsword.

It was, in comparison, massive. The blade was easily twenty percent longer. To make up for this, it was a little thinner all the way through, having a fairly fixed width as opposed to my broadsword, that tapered off. The most noticeable difference, however, was the grip. It was on the order of twice as long, wrapped in cured leather. I put away my broadsword for the time being, gripping this new weapon with two hands.

I had hear of these before, even had the chance to use them on our more dangerous missions...a claymore. They were designed for maximum reach with minimal weight, enabling the wielder to strike safely from behind a shield with as little change from standard broadsword fighting technique. However, should the situation call for it, the extended hilt allowed for the weapon to be gripped with two hands, bringing with that changed stance thunderous, crushing blows.

I walked back to the bonfire, looking over to my right. Resa was still there, knelt down beside some strange statue. I could hear her talking, even though there was nobody else in sight. Perhaps this covenant was real? It wasn't like Resa to talk to herself out loud. Perhaps this Solaire fool...maybe he wasn't all smoke and mirrors after all.

I opened up the bottomless box, depositing my broadsword. The claymore felt good in my hands, just enough weight to be there, but not enough to be burdensome. Every time I'd used one up to this point that wasn't the case, the extreme length of the blade feeling quite weighted in my grip. It was only proof that I was growing stronger with each passing minute, my strength growing with each undead that fell to my blade.

I shouldered the claymore, taking a left out of the bonfire room, past the gate I'd opened earlier. Directly past it, to my right, as a lone tower, an open doorway on my ground floor. Up ahead, the path continued, seemingly moving on to the core of the church. I didn't want to get too over my head, not with Resa distracted as it was. I took a right into the tower.

Inside, I was faced with two more options. To my right was, again, another staircase, this one leading up to the top of the tower. Directly in front of me was a ladder, descending downward. Based on where I was, it led under the bridge, back towards where we came from. Back in the room below the stairs on the bridge, there had been a third door, one that led out underneath the bridge...this probably connected back to there. I started climbing up the stairs, shield up, ready for whatever was here.

I followed the spiral staircase upwards, to the top of the small tower. Just as my head peeked out to the roof, my heart skipped a beat. There, standing with its front directly towards me, was another knight, clad in charred metal armor. In its one hand, as I expected, was a shield, identical to the one the previous knight had been carrying. However, slung over its other shoulder was a sword, a sword so massive it made my claymore feel like a broadsword. The weapon was easily as long as the knight was tall, likely around eight feet, with a dark, gleaming blade, as well as an intricate hilt.

I could feel the surge of adrenaline coursing through me, seeing this monster of a knight before me again. It began charging at me, its own greatsword coming crashing down. The knight swung the blade swiftly, as if it wasn't eight feet of steel, catching me by surprise. I started backing down the stairway, the speed and strength of the knight dwarfing my own. The last time I'd fought this, we'd been an even match, the fight only ending after Resa had thrown herself at the black knight. However, this monster, he seemed far more aggressive, far more willing to cut me down compared to the last one. I held up my shield as I backed out down the stairway, needing more open space than the cramped tower. I maneuvered back out, onto the walkway leading up to the churg, continuing to back up, towards the bonfire. The black knight was relentless, swing after brutal swing, each one feeling like it had enough strength to break my shield in half. My stamina was waning quickly, and just as I passed through the gate to the bonfire room the knight struck me with a horizontal slash. My shield arm was thrown wildly off to the side, the swing catching me wide open. Instinctively, I dropped the shield, raising my now-free hand to stabilize the blade of my claymore. I brought the sword up, steel careening into steel as I blocked an overhead strike, the force of the blow sending me to my knees.

I gripped the claymore with two hands, gritting my teeth from behind my helmet. This knight, this monster of an opponent, was simply too strong. I turned back, hoping to see Resa. Thankfully, she was standing up, her shield in one hand while her talisman was in the other. The sight filled me with hope - hope that she could restore my wounds, carrying me through the fight.

With a surge of energy I rushed forward, my shoulder careening into the knight's hip. It sent the two of us tumbling down onto the ground. I rolled off to the side, scrambling to my feet. The knight swept his leg out to the side, catching both of mine as I was standing up. I fell down on my back as the knight stood up, gripping its greatsword in two hands.

I looked over to my left. To my surprise, Resa's face was one of determination, not fear. For a moment, pride swelled through me, seeing her stand so bravely in the face of such a terrifying opponent. It was true...she wouldn't need me to protect her forever. She could argue against it, but I had faith in her. Once she had faith in herself, she would be a force to be reckoned with.

I felt the knight's greatsword slice through my midsection, punching a hole straight through me. The sword continued downwards, seeming to break through even the floor as the knight's inhuman strength drove it downwards. Pain wracked my body yet again, the sword embedding itself to the hilt in my stomach.

My vision fading, I took one last look at my sister. She was holding up her talisman, but I knew that it would be no use. This knight, this beast of a knight...I'd finally gotten in over my head. Even if she could heal me indefinitely, which she couldn't, I'd still never managed to lay even a scratch on the knight's armor. We'd be locked in combat forever, just like before.

Suddenly, my vision was filled with light, light unlike anything I'd seen before. I could barely make it out, my eyesight still fading and dark from the pain. However, I could tell that it was coming from Resa. Suddenly, the light traveled across the room, moving right towards the knight. Again, the same thing happened, the otherworldly light moving from my sister to the knight. I watched hazily as the knight left its position next to me, still leaving the greatsword lodged in my chest.

Suddenly, my vision sprung to life...was I at the bonfire, had I died? No, I was still where I was, trapped to the ground. However, I could still feel the wounds healing themselves, even with the sword trapped inside me. I reached for the blade, fumbling around as I tried to get a good grip on it. I tried pulling it out, managing to get barely more than a foot until the blade was covered with my blood, my grip becoming slick and unstable.

I looked over towards Resa. She was holding up her shield against the knight, backing up towards me. I threw my body forward, trying to dislodge the sword from the ground. In actuality, I only managed to reopen the wounds Resa had just closed, the pain that had dulled in my stomach spiking back to the forefront of my mind.

I saw the flash of light again...this time with eyes that could process it. Resa held up her talisman, and in her hand formed a massive spear, made of light. No, not light...lightning. It crackled with white hot energy, the weapon seemingly alive in her hand for the scant few seconds she held onto it. When she did let go, she threw it forward, treating the magical weapon exactly like a real one. At the point-blank range, the spear hit the black knight head on, the projectile exploding into a shower of sparks. The knight staggered backward, clutching its side where the wound had connected. It held up its shield as she threw another spear at it, this one dissipating into the shield.

I was blown away. I assume it had to be a miracle, the way she held her talisman so prominently right before it appeared in her hand. This...this had to be the power of the Warriors of Sunlight. There was little doubt in my mind, seeing the way she had gained this new and revolutionary power. With newfound strength I gripped the sword still lodged in my chest, trying desperately to pull it out. I managed to get another foot of the blade out until I met fresh blood again, my grip becoming slippery. I threw my legs towards my body, kicking them outwards as my feet wrapped around the hilt on the sword. In one fluid motion I pushed several more feet of the blade out of the ground, leaning forward to prevent it from sliding back in.

I was getting back to my feet, even though blood was pouring from the wound. Now on my feet, I gripped the sword with two hands, pulling it out until my arms were fully outstretched. The blade of this mighty weapon was longer than I was, serving as a testament to its owner's strength. I threw my back against the closest wall that I could find, forcing the greatsword out the rest of the way. It clattered to the floor and the black knight turned around, its attention momentarily drawn away from Resa.

I held up my sword and shield, taking a step forward so that my foot was on the blade. It had made the mistake of discarding its weapon, and I wasn't about to be so forgiving. The knight started advancing towards me, its empty hand curled into a fist. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Resa holding up her talisman. Now, I wasn't sure what she was up to.

Thankfully, my wounds swiftly began closing, her miracle washing over me. I turned towards her, my claymore drawn and ready. "Nice moves. I don't think I caught them the first time though, mind showing me again?"

"For hurting you, brother, I'll turn him into an electric pincushion." She held up her talisman and formed another spear in her hand, the crackling yellow energy echoing around the room. The knight turned about, bringing up its shield.

"Hey, I'm over here!" I gripped my claymore in two hands, twisting my body around as I raised my sword up, over my head, prepared to punish this knight for turnings its back on an opponent. I brought the blade down, the sweet sound of metal shredding through metal filling my ears as I carved through its back, the thin blade of the claymore cutting deep into its flesh. At the same time, Resa threw her spear, the knight's shield now wildly out of position from my strike. The spear landed squarely on the knight's chestpiece. The knight staggered backward, its strength starting to wane.

"Hey sister, you know that lightning rod back home that we used to keep the village safe?"

"Why is that relevant right now, Flynn?"

"What do you say about testing it out?" With that, I thrust my claymore forward, right through the gash I'd made in the knight's back. I kept pushing, burying more and more of my sword inside it, well aware that it was protruding out the other side. I stopped when I felt the hilt of the weapon clink against the knight's black armor, no more sword to bury in its chest. "That's right, you're not the only one that can do that."

I kept a firm grip on the handle as I looked up to Resa. For the first time since she'd seen the knight I could see doubt creeping back into her features. "Flynn I just learned how to do this, I don't think - "

"You might not, but I know you can. If you miss, so what? Tall, dark, and violent isn't going anywhere." To enunciate my point I pulled upwards on the hilt of the sword, slicing through just a little bit more of his armor.

"You...you're right." She paused for a moment, holding her talisman in the air. Another spear of lightning formed in her hand, and she looked down at her target. I threw the sword to the left just a bit, trying to give her a slightly larger target. She threw the spear forward, the tip of it colliding with the blade of the claymore. The sword flashed for just a split second, the spear, somehow, transferring its power to the blade. The sword erupted with electricity, sparks jumping from the blade to the knight, as the foe before me took the full force of the blast.

Just as my claymore settled down, so did the knight. He fell to his knees, his shield clattering to the ground moments before he erupted into souls. Oddly enough, the shield didn't dissipate, staying on the ground. I wasn't surprised when I looked over towards the greatsword, seeing that it, too, didn't dissolve.

I knelt down and picked up the shield, holding it out to Resa. "This is all yours, sister. You've earned it. I suppose the greatsword could be yours too, but seeing as it's a bit heavy for me I'm willing to bet we're going to be storing that into the box for later."

She shook her head, pushing it back towards me. "Flynn, I was only doing what is expected of me...I was still terrified, I just fought it this time. I - I can't."

"Resa...okay I'm going to try and nip this in the bud now." I walked over to her side, still holding the shield towards her. "Yes, you are a Warrior of Sunlight now, and I know that's going to change a lot of things. I know, based on what Solaire said, you're supposed to be protecting the defenseless and aiding the weak, and I know that you will embrace those ideals wholeheartedly. However, I'm your brother, not some random passerby in need of assistance. You've already been by my side, saving my reckless self multiple times now. What you did, just now, was completely unlike anything you've ever done before. If, if it makes it better for you, then consider the shield as a gift, from me to you, as a congratulations for fighting your fear. Here, let's see how it feels."

I reached over and slid her shield off her arm, setting it down gently on the floor. I took the black knight's shield in two hands, slipping it back over her arm. It was quite oversized, the straps a bit loose, but it fit.

As soon as I let go of the shield, Resa's arm dropped down, sagging to the floor. "Oh my goodness, how did that thing carry this? My arm would fall off just trying to hold it up!" We both let out a chuckle as she let go of the straps, the shield clattering to the ground. She knelt down and lifted up her old one, sliding it back into place. "Small and functional, that's what I need. I'll leave the big weapons to you."

I knelt down, lifting up the shield. It was heavy, sure...but it didn't feel that bad. I slipped off my old shield, putting the black knight's on. I mock held up my guard, shouldering my claymore and lifting up the shield. The weight wasn't oppressive, the strength I've gained from Lordran more proving that. "If you insist, sister. I'll carry it around, a reminder that you can, and have, overcome your fear."

She knocked me on the back of the head, laughing. "Flynn please. If making some sappy reason for why you're carrying it makes you feel better, then go for it. However, I know you just want bigger weapons. I won't be surprised if someday you're holding a shield as big as that door a while back, with, well, that sword." She pointed over towards the weapon lying on the floor.

"Yeah...you got me." I reached over to the greatsword, sheathing my claymore. I knelt down, gripping the greatsword with two hands, trying to sling it over my shoulder. The blade was so long, and so heavy, it didn't even budge. I tried again, managing to raise it a few inches off the ground before it clattered back down. "It's going to be a while before I'm that strong. Let's stow this away and take a breather...I'm starting to have a nasty habit of ripping holes in the middle of my armor."

 **Word Count: 8572**

 **Total Word Count: 34505**


	5. Chapter 5

**Flynn**

 **SL15 - 16 VIT - 10 ATT - 12 END - 16 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL15 - 13 VIT - 14 ATT - 10 END - 12 STR - 9 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 20 FTH**

 **Resa**

I watched as Flynn knelt over the repair box, fixing his armor.

What...what had happened to me? I unraveled the scroll containing the Lightning Spear miracle, staring at the shifting letters one more time. This scroll...it gave me confidence. I'd realized while we fought the second black fight, seeing Flynn struggle for survival while the knight came after me: I wasn't afraid of killing, I was afraid of dying. But this, this new tool that I'd acquired, it changed everything. I didn't have to worry about dying, not if I could fight from afar. I could be what Flynn needed, both his healer, helping him survive insurmountable odds, but also his support, dealing with bows, crossbows, and the like.

I helped Flynn back into his armor, the repairbox having fixed his armor. Flynn was growing stronger, his new equipment evidence enough for that. The claymore that he'd picked up bordered on absurd, nearly as long as I was, and I'd personally tried to wield the black knight shield...I couldn't believe he could hold it up.

The two of us stood up in unison, looking out towards the gate. "I don't know about you, sister, but I'd rather avoid the knight this time around. I didn't get a chance to explore further. Hopefully there aren't any more of them...I'd rather not go through that again."

"Well, if we do, I feel quite safe."

"I do try, sister. You held your own quite well while I was impaled, however."

I laughed. "No I feel safe because I'm not the one holding the shield of their fallen comrade. I can't think of a better way to paint a target on your head." I patted him on the back, poking his shield arm. "Don't worry, they're only about a foot and a half taller. Maybe they'll think you look intimidating!"

"Have I ever told you that you have the least encouraging sense of humor?"

"Many times, yes." We walked up, past the tower, and continuing up the path to the church. We rounded a corner, finding a single armored undead. Flynn swiftly dispatched it, the added reach on his claymore allowing to fight even more careful than before. The two of us continued onwards, approaching an opening.

"What is...is that a pig?" I pointed forward, towards the beast holding my curiosity. It was a pig, boar, something along those lines. However, the beast was heavily armored, even its twin tusks covered in barbed, spiked metal. I broadened my view, trying to focus on more than just the boar. Up on an upper walkway were two archers, bows drawn and ready. I could see one, maybe two more undead on the ground, each one armed with a sword.

"Whatever it is, it's big and mean. Seems like fun."

"Flynn, please be careful. I can't heal you and fight at the same time after all. I don't even know if I can heal you as much as I have been if I'm using my strength to create lightning spears. Don't do anything too brash." I was stern but honest. I knew full well that he had been hollowing since I'd started to gain confidence, and I couldn't bear the weight of knowing that it was my fault. "You keep the enemies that hold their weapons off of me, and I'll keep the enemies that shoot their weapons off of you. Sound good?"

"It absolutely does. I can't see behind me though, so if you do get caught out, I'd like to be made aware of that."

I gave him a thumbs up. "Sounds good, brother. Now, give them hell!" He began advancing forward, shield and sword drawn and raised, poised and ready to take on the boar. The two archers up above drew their weapons, pointing them down at him. I held up my talisman, focusing on the statue. That had been the one element of the miracle that had perplexed me - a single entity. Whenever I'd been healing Flynn, I'd simply been praying to any god, hoping they could heal his wounds. It seemed as if the Lightning Spear could only granted to me by the god that inhabited the statue.

The crackling lightning appeared in my hand once again, the sensation starting to feel normal. Without a second though, I hurled it towards one of the archers. I had noticed that the spears seemed to fly precisely in the direction I'd wanted them to go, my aim with a true spear far from accurate. However, I'd never failed with the lightning spears, landing directly on my mark. This one was no exception, as the spear bore through one of the archers. I had the satisfaction of watching it explode into souls from afar. A small twinge of nausea ran through me afterwards, reminding me that I couldn't do this forever.

At that moment, I heard a thunderous crash come from further down the path. I looked towards Flynn, panic filling my heart. However, he had diverted his attention as well, still standing strong. I noticed it a few seconds later, the difference quite subtle had I not seen a hollow running off in the distance. A gate had closed, not far behind where Flynn was fighting. It seemed we weren't being given the option of running past this strange creature.

I raised up my hand for another strike, positioning my body towards the other archer. I could feel the thrum of power as the lightning reappeared in my hand, and I sent it hurtling onward. However, an undead, one that I hadn't seen before, dove out from behind the wall, its shield catching my spear mid flight. The shield went hurtling off from the impact but the undead still remained. It gripped its spear with two hands as it started charging at me.

Panic coursed through my veins again, my body paralyzed by even the simple hollow. "Flynn!" The undead thrust its spear out several times and I brought up my shield, trying to hide as much of my body behind it as possible. My cowardice did me no favors though as the spear just barely slid past my shield. I felt blood spurt from the wound as it retracted its spear, my body growing numb around the wound.

I stowed away my talisman, begrudgingly reaching for my spear. I was a Warrior of Sunlight now...what good did that mean if I could only stand up to enemies that had disarmed myself? I tried to hold the weapon menacingly but it was lost on the hollow, likely only seeing me as a body that it could attack. It kept up its attack, lashing out, as I continued catching the thrusts with my shield. It winded up for one last strike, and I could hear the clang as it hit my spear.

Except, it didn't. I looked down at the hollow, seeing a familiar greatsword poked right through its midsection. The undead dissolved into a shower of souls directly in front of me, revealing Flynn on the other side. "I'm pretty sure you could have handled that one on your own, sister."

"And I'm pretty sure you just asked me tell you when I got caught out. I - I never said I needed your help."

He shook his head, turning back out towards the boar. He had already killed one of the two armored hollows on the ground, the other one missing an arm. However, the boar seemed completely unfazed, whatever Flynn had done to it completely unnoticeable. "I still see an archer up there. Didn't you say that was your job?"

I held up my talisman, conjuring up another spear. A half-second later, and the archer dissolved into a pile of souls. "I still see a swordsman up there. Mind being my faithful knight and tending to that?"

Flynn didn't respond, simply holding up his shield as he advanced. I circled around the right side, where the undead had jumped out earlier. Several pillars blocked the path between the boar and I, but I kept moving forward. I continued strafing and ascended some steps, watching as Flynn sidestepped the boar and swung his sword around, felling the second hollow.

I moved further on, towards where the two archers had been earlier, overlooking the fight. Flynn had accidentally maneuvered himself into a corner, now stuck between the armored boar and a wall.

The beast charged, turning its head to the side at the last second. Flynn tried to hold up his shield but the sheer weight and size of the boar simply knocked it out of the way. I watched in horror as he was gouged, one of the tusks goring the shoulder of his sword arm. With a flick of its head the boar sent Flynn flying, his weakened arm unable to hold onto his claymore as he landed unceremoniously on the ground.

I immediately raised up my talisman, sending out a prayer to the gods. As Flynn's arm started knitting itself back together I had to act as a distraction, just long enough for Flynn to recover his claymore. I threw a lightning spear at it, the metallic beast spinning around. I threw another one, this one hitting it square on the nose. It charged at me, the action being borderline comedic as it passed right underneath me. Clearly, it wasn't the brightest creature.

I looked back up, Flynn now in possession of his Claymore once again. He charged at the boar, the beast somehow managing to get its tusks stuck in the wall. I heard his blade rip through the creature's armor, watching as he continued forward. Behind him, he left a trail of blood and metal as the boar's armor continued to rip, until eventually his blade emerged near its head.

Somehow it was still alive as the beast finally managed to rip its tusk free from the stone walls of the church, turning about. It rushed at him again, but this time Flynn was ready. He held up his shield horizontally, covering more of his front. When the boar swung its head to the side he ducked, the tusks just passing over his head. He brought his sword upward, slicing up through the beast's neck. He repeated the motion several times, somehow able to maneuver the massive sword with the same precision that I could aim my miracles. It was beyond impressive, his strength terrifying were he not my brother.

The boar exploded into a shower of souls around him, leaving behind...its head? I walked down from my platform, examining the strange object. Yes, it was its head but, well, smaller. However, the features were beyond any doubt the boar's, complete with twin tusks and shaggy black fur. I kicked it over to Flynn, not daring touch it. "It's yours if you want it. I don't know what it is or what it's used for, but you're dealing with it."

Disgustingly enough, he lifted the head up, tossing it around. "Oh come now sister, surely it's not that bad, is it?" He laughed, before tossing it aside. "You're right. That is utterly disgusting, and it's not worth taking it back to the bonfire."

"It's disgusting, and yet you still had no problem with picking it up and throwing it around. Pigs already are revolting as they are, I don't even want to imagine what kind of plague undead pigs carry around."

At that, Flynn promptly dropped the head, booting it far off to the side. "I...I should probably change gauntlets whenever we're back at a bonfire." He shook his hands distastefully, accenting his point. "Anyways, I heard that gate close...I saw an undead running towards it but I was a bit too occupied to do anything about it. So, where to now?"

I turned around, pointing to a descending staircase. "Looks like our only way forward. Can't tell you the first place on where it'll lead but we've already killed a pig. Can't be much worse than that, right?"

Flynn nodded, and the two of us walked over, down the staircase. In the following halllway there were two undead, wearing merely tatters. I followed behind Flynn, watching in awe as he slashed them down effortlessly. We exited the hallway into what looked like some sort of decrepit house, fairly open except for some rafters...and more undead. Three of them charged at Flynn all at once as he held up his shield, three swords bouncing off of his unbreakable guard. He lunged forward with his claymore, a wide sweep cleaving all three of them in half. The floor now empty, we moved onwards. The only other thing that I could see was a ladder upwards, but Flynn apparently saw something else. He walked over, turning over a corpse that was tucked away in the corner. I reached down, ripping something out of the body's hand. He held it up, a single key between his fingers. "We've come across quite a few locked doors. I can tell it's going to be fun remembering all of these, but I'm not about to leave it behind." He tucked away the key, and we ascended the ladder. Two more undead blocked our path, but neither put up much of a fight. We climbed up another ladder, emerging out on the top floor of the house. A single open doorway was the only noticeable feature, and we exited the building.

We walked through the doorway and out onto a bridge, overlooking where we'd fought the boar. To our left was the gate, a wall preventing us from reaching the other side. With no other options, we continued onwards, towards the end of the walkway, where we ran into a split path.

Flynn turned around, facing me. "Let me guess...right?"

"It hasn't failed us so far. I don't see why we should change now."

Flynn simply sighed, shrugging. He peeked around the bend to the right, looking onwards for only a moment, before turning back to me. "There's an undead. Looks well armored, not like what we've seen here so far. I'm not about to take any chances." Flynn skirted around the corner, raising his shield and sword up as I followed behind him. There, at the end of the walkway, stood a lone knight. It was slightly taller than Flynn, wearing a suit of armor that I felt like I'd seen before...but I couldn't remember where. The knight's back was to us, as it looked off into the distance. We closed the distance up to it, until Flynn was only a few feet from it.

Winding up for a strike, he raised his claymore over his shoulder, bringing it down thunderously on the unsuspecting knight. The slash hit it squarely in the arm, carving off armor and flesh alike as the blade struck true. The knight turned around, raising its shield and sword, assuming a defensive position. The knight attacked quickly and ferociously its sword held at a rather odd angle as it jabbed forward several times in quick succession, only one of them managing to circumvent Flynn's shield. Still, the blade was fairly thin, and I didn't even see my brother flinch from the wound.

Flynn counterattacked, charging his weapon straight towards the enemy's midsection. For the second time since we'd been in Lordran, I watched as the knight brought its small shield across its body, somehow managing to deflect Flynn's massive weapon. The knight then thrust its weapon forward, digging deep into Flynn's armor. The tip of the blade emerged from his black drenched in blood, my stomach lurching from the image.

I heard Flynn's shield hit the ground, his hand free. Was he...dying? Given the punishment I'd seen him take this seemed relatively mild in comparison. I began holding up my talisman, prepared to save him.

"Alright...now you've got my attention." My attention shifted as my prayer simply trailed off, nothing happened. When I'd looked up again Flynn had brought his free hand up towards the sword lodged inside him, grabbing the knight's wrist. He forced the blade even further in, more blood forcing itself out of his back as he drug the knight closer. "Resa, may I borrow your mace? I can't quite swing the claymore in close quarters very well."

I nodded, fairly revolted at the sight before me. Flynn...he was a glutton for punishment. I didn't know if he enjoyed living on life's edge, or if he repeatedly found himself there, simply forcing himself to survive. Quite honestly, I didn't know which would have made me feel better. I reached for my mace, tossing it to him.

In one fluid motion Flynn dropped the claymore and grabbed the mace, his hand gripping it close to the head. He brought the weapon down, treating it more like a rock than a mace, repeatedly bashing the knight's head with the head of the weapon. Its helmet began to cave in, crushing its head and skull. Moments later and the knight erupted into souls. The sword that was lodged inside Flynn dissipated as well, and I immediately prepared to cure the wounds.

Behind the knight was a single shield, lying on the ground. Flynn noticed it as well, pointing it out. I shook my head as soon as the miracle had been cast. "Brother, I'm quite happy with what I've got right now. A larger shield would only get in the way." The shield looked more ceremonial than anything else, blue and red decoration around a very intricate crest. However, it was large, almost twice as large as what I was currently wearing, and I had no interest in it.

"Well, I'm quite content with what I've got. Might as well leave it here so that undead has something to watch over in the next life."

"Oh, how very thoughtful of you brother. Also, might I have my mace back? It's a little unfair of you to have two weapons."

"Yeah...guess you're right." He handed me my mace and I stowed it away, Flynn reaching down to pick up his claymore. With nothing else out here we turned around, back towards the split.

"Brother, what have I been saying about being careful. Now, I'm not blaming you for getting hit, especially with a sword as strange as that, but I feel like there were several better ways that you could have handled it."

"Such as?"

"Well, anything other than burying it further inside you, really."

He turned back, stopping midway up some stairs. "Well, did it hurt me after I did that? It may be unconventional, but you can't argue with its effectiveness. I realized that when we'd fought the black knight back by the bridge. If an enemy doesn't have a weapon, it can't really do much. Disarming it, one way or another, works quite well." He paused, seeing the look of frustration on my face. "Yes, I know its reckless, dangerous, life-threatening…"

"Add stupid to that list if you're making one."

"Yes, stupid as well." He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "However, I'm trying to learn what works here, and that changes depending on my opponent. I'll probably do a lot of careless stuff, but I promise I'm not actively trying to get myself killed."

I sighed, letting go. "Okay. I'll do my best to keep you safe. That's my job now, and I never expected you to make it an easy one."

"That's what siblings are for, right? Come on, let's keep going." We advanced onwards and up the stairs, rounding a corner. Another undead tried to ambush us, hiding in the corner, but it didn't even manage to get close. Up ahead I could see light peeking out at the end of the hallway, and we moved towards it.

Flynn reached the end of the hallway, looking to his left. "Another knight...yes yes, I'll be careful." He charged after it as I followed him, the two of us in a confined hallway. To our left was a wall, one of the buildings leading up to the church, while several pillars lined the right side of the walkway. It would have made for an impressive view had our lives not been in danger.

Flynn engaged with the knight, this one wielding a far more standard sword than the last one. He rushed it with his shield, breaking its guard. He followed it up with a swipe, narrowly avoiding the pillars as he brought the claymore down on its shoulder.

At the same instant, pain welled up inside me, in my shoulder. I felt dizzy, and I only realized what happened when I started feeling my robes become wet...wet with my own blood. I spun about, putting my back up against Flynn and raising my shield, seeing an undead armed with a spear, tipped in my blood.

"Uh, Flynn...there's one behind you!"

I heard the clang of metal on metal as the fight behind me continued. "Well sister, I'm a little bit busy right now. Would you mind holding on for a minute?"

The undead rushed at me and I blocked its strike with my shield, terror welling up inside me yet again. I had to fight it...fight the fear, fight everything inside me that told me to run and hide. As the undead charged at me again I pushed my shield out, mimicking the motion I'd seen Flynn do several times. The undead staggered backwards and I reached for my talisman, holding it up. Crackling energy coalesced in my hand and I sent it hurtling forward...missing my target completely. The Lightning Spear fizzled out onto the ground as the electricity in the air dissipated.

I'd missed? I didn't even realize that was possible. I formed another spear and threw it out, this one also missing its mark. What was wrong with me?

Flynn turned his head around, yelling out over his shoulder. "Two? Just what kind of monster are you fighting back there?"

"I...I can't hit it!" I hid behind my shield as another jab from the undead hurtled forward, my stance starting to waver.

"Resa, you hit the tip of my sword with one of those things. Unless you're fighting an undead mouse I know you're able to hit it. Just believe in yourself!" He was cut off as a sword bounced off a shield...I couldn't tell who's sword and who's shield though.

Believe in myself...if only it was that easy. I had to though, if I was going to make it anywhere in Lordran. I raised up my talisman again, forming a third spear. I looked at the undead, gripping its own spear. I could hit it...there was no reason I couldn't.

I lobbed the spear forward, watching with satisfaction as it hit its mark. The undead crumpled to the ground, dissolving into souls.

"Good job." Flynn turned around from behind me. "I knew you could do it."

I looked past him, confused. "Weren't you, just...the knight?"

He waved it off. "Nothing major, I took him down pretty quickly. Since I know it's your next question, I was fighting myself." He clinged his claymore against his shield, the sound echoing about. "You needed a confidence boost, and I felt like getting a close combat kill in might help." He held out both his hands, standing open. "I know you're going to be mad. Go ahead, hit me, I won't try any tricks."

I smacked him across the face without any hesitation, putting the full force of my body into it. "That is for tricking me." I then took a step forward, wrapping my arms around him. "And this is for believing in me. You were right, I need more experience. You can't always be there to draw all the hits, and I need to start being able to take, and deal, a few of my own."

"Well...not quite the reaction that I expected, but I won't argue."

"I can hit you again, if it would make you feel better."

"I think I'll take my chances with the hug, honestly."

I laughed, letting him go. "Alright, we're getting pretty close to the church. Let's try and make it a bit further."

"Well, there's a split in the path. Now, I know you're going to say right, but left is going to lead out to the other side of the gate. It would be nice to get that opened up in case we need a speedy retreat. If the bell really is up there, I doubt it's going to be as simple as walking up and ringing it."

"Alright, I suppose we can go left this time. You're making it up to me next time, however." I chuckle and we took the path, out. We emerged out into the open again, between the gate and the church proper. The lone undead that lowered the gate still stood there, guarding the lever with its life. The two of us advanced towards it, dispatching it with ease. As I tended to the lever, Flynn knelt down to a nearby corpse.

"Well, look at that, another key. We should invest in a keyring pretty soon, at the rate things are going."

I pulled the lever back, the gate rising back up. "Well, try not to lose it for the time being. We're going to need it at some point, so try to hold onto it."

Flynn pocketed the key, moving over to another body. This one was clutching a weapon, a halberd from the looks of it. He wrenched the axe-spear-hybrid off of the body, holding it up. "Should we hold onto it, or leave it here?"

I shrugged, looking down at my mace. "I can't hold that thing properly, and even if I could I doubt I'd use it. It you want it though, you're carrying it." Without a word he shrugged and slid it into his sheath, the halberd looking quite strange in a greatsword's sheath.

We turned up towards the church, looking inside. There, at the far end, was a man unlike anything I'd seen. It was easily ten feet tall, likely more, and it looked equally as wide from this distance. In one hand was a shield, nearly as tall as it was, and in the other was a greatsword that was equally as intimidating. However, the beast was clad in thick, steel armor, covering nearly the entirety of his body. Just as Flynn got close to the entrance I grabbed his shoulder, pulling him to the side. "We are not dealing with that right now, okay?"

"Resa, we're going to have to at some point. Why not now?"

I held up my talisman, looking at it. "I've cast quite a few miracles, and it's getting a bit painful to cast more now. I don't want to send you into a fight expecting my support, and me not be able to give you that."

He pointed off, towards the gate. "We can head back to the bonfire, recuperate for a little bit. I don't want to push you past your limits, after all. We're a team, and we need to function as one."

I shook my head, motioning towards where we'd come from. "Let's head back, see if maybe there's a side entrance or something that we can explore. I don't want to turn back around now, even if we've done a lot. For all we know, that undead could come running up and close the gate again, meaning we haven't even made any progress."

Flynn paused for a minute, before nodding. "Good point. I'll lead the way, and I promise I'll be cautious this time. Just lay low for a bit, and I'll get us through here."

We pressed onwards, back out to the previous hallway. We took the remaining fork outwards, towards the side of the church. The path came out on a ground floor, several hollows standing around it. To our left was the church, another entryway near the back of the side wall. However, to our right was another tower, fairly small. I was far more willing to take my chances with the tower than that beast of a man in the church.

Flynn advanced forward as I stayed toward the rear, watching him carefully approach this situation. Two hollows armed with swords charged at him while an archer stood off in the distance. He hid behind his shield, two blades slashing against it. He charged forward, bringing his claymore down onto one of the two hollows. An arrow blew past his shoulder as he ducked down, thrusting his sword forward, straight through the other hollow. The two of them shattered around him, bursting into souls.

An arrow collided with his shield, falling to the ground. He looked up, staring down the archer. He rushed forward, holding his shield up as several more arrows bounced harmlessly off of it. As soon as he closed the distance he slashed horizontally. He held the stance for a second afterwards, bringing his sword down just as the final hollow burst into souls.

I walked up to him as he moved towards me, clapping my hands. "Very impressive. Perhaps you should look into acting once all this is all over. Now, we're taking a right this time like I said we would, right?" I gave him a playful smile, pointing towards the small tower. "I can't tell you what's in that, but the knight in the church can't fit through that door and that's evidence enough for me."

He looked down at his claymore, nodding. "This thing's starting to get a little blunt from overuse. I saw a whetstone in the repair box, probably about time that I use it. I doubt I could even hurt that knight with the sword as it is now" He turned back to the church, pointing up to the top. "Also, that's definitely a bell tower, no mistaking it from here. Something's going to be up there, I can just feel it. I'd rather not run in there with weak weapons."

I followed his arm, looking enough. Sure enough I could see a massive ornate bell at the very top of the church, standing proudly in the sky. My heart sunk a bit when I looked up, realizing that we'd have to go up through the church to get there, and past that behemoth of a knight...along with whatever else was in there.

The two of us walked to the small tower, a short covered walkway leading towards it. The first floor was completely empty, save for a pile of broken material from the dilapidated wall in the corner. There was a staircase downwards along the far side, and Flynn walked towards it. I followed him downwards, keeping a watch behind us for any stray undead keen on jumping us.

As we reached the second floor of the tower, a welcome sight greeted my eyes. There, in the middle of the room, was a bonfire, the embers dancing around near the ground. As soon as Flynn was on the ground I rushed towards it, holding out my hand prominently. The fire burst forth from nowhere yet again, a warm glow illuminating the room. The bottomless box and repairbox shimmered into existence as soon as I lit it, their magical powers working even after we'd travelled all this way. Before he sat down, Flynn deposited the halberd into box, the weapon disappearing into it. The two of us sat down, warming our hands by the fire.

However, this time felt...different. Before, I'd always been drawn inexorably into flames, but now...it was oddly hard to focus on them. It didn't feel like the fire controlled me anymore, and it was liberating. I looked to my side towards Flynn, noticing that he was staring into the fire absentmindedly. I didn't know if he'd always been like that, or if I'd just never been able to notice it until now.

Suddenly, I heard a loud clang from beneath us, the sound echoing through the room. No, it wasn't echoing...it was a hammer, repeatedly hitting something. I got up and shook Flynn, trying to pull him away from the fire.

"Flynn, come on. Something's down there." He shook his head, my voice finally able to pierce the fire's grasp on him.

"Uh, yeah...I'm sorry, I just feel out of it for some reason." As he stood up I got a glimpse of his skin, the gap between his helmet and chestpiece peeking out. He was hollowing, that much was obvious. He hadn't mentioned it though...I was sure he knew. I decided to let it go, at least for now. If it got worse I made a mental note to bring it up, but for now I'd let him hide it.

The clanging boomed out again, and he turned towards another staircase, this one leading to a third floor. "I assume that's what you're talking about?"

I nodded. "Sounds like some sort of hammer. I didn't feel safe checking it out alone."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm here so that you don't have to, right?" It hurt me, hearing him say that. I could tell he didn't believe it, as if he was trying to convince himself that it was true. I didn't say anything else about it as the two of us moved towards the stairs. Flynn went down the stairway first, proceeding extremely cautiously. He took several paces down and looked about, before immediately lowering his guard. "Don't worry, Resa. Just a...smith?"

I heard another, gruff voice from the third floor, unfamiliar. "Yes, and a damned good one at that. Now, what do ye pups want?"

Flynn walked down the stairs and I followed, looking around. In the corner looked like an entire blacksmith's shop, hammers, shields, and weapons cluttered against the walls. In the middle sat a worn anvil, an equally rugged man leaning over it. He was old, with wild gray hair and beard stained dark from his occupation.

"I said what ye want? Reinforcement, repairs, or new equipment?"

Flynn stepped forward, responding. "What do you mean, reinforcement?"

The blacksmith dropped his hammer, the sword he was working on clattering to the floor. He shook his head, obviously frustrated. "What do I look like, a damned teacher? Hit harder, cut deeper, swing faster! You telling me ye've made it this far with a shiny iron rod?" He pointed at Flynn's claymore, continuing. "That thing should be able to cut ye just by looking at it wrong!"

"Show me." Flynn dropped to the ground, holding out his claymore. "Show me how. I want to know."

The blacksmith smacked the sword, knocking it to the ground. "I'm not showing ye anything, er else you'll put me out of a job. Now, show me yer titanite and I'll tell ye what I can do."

Flynn turned back to me, and I was sure the expression on his face matched my own, confused one. He looked back at the blacksmith. "Titanite?"

"This is why I hate ye new pups, probably walked by quite a bit and didn't realize it was yer lifeline." He turned behind him, reaching down to pull out a small black stone. "This is titanite. Sharpens blades, strengthens armor, even what's not made of metal. Strong stuff, the larger the pieces the more it can do. Now, since I can tell ye don't have any I'll sell ye what I've got around here but I'm not making it cheap for ye. Next time, come back with yer own!"

At that moment, another new sound echoed through tower. It was distinctly a bell, the the low thrum ringing throughout the tower. The blacksmith looked up, towards the stairs. "Ah...that must be Oscar." He turned towards Flynn, pointing at him. "Now that's an undead worth his sword. Even showed up with his own titanite, too!"

A moment later, and I heard a new person entering the room. I looked back, seeing Oscar walking down. "Greetings, Andre. I could use some repairs, if you've got the time."

I turned back to the blacksmith...Andre. It was good having a face to a name, even if he didn't seem willing to tell us himself. "For you, Oscar, I've got plenty of time. These two fools aren't worth my skills anyways."

Flynn whirled about, no doubt a skill hidden beneath his mask. However, Oscar simply stepped forward, interposing himself between my brother and Andre. "Andre, you can't blame them. I wouldn't have known what titanite was had someone else not told me." He turned around, pulling out two of the peculiar black rocks, offering them to Flynn. "Here, consider this my thanks for pulling me out of that Asylum. As a tip for the future, the knights here sometimes seem to have them."

Flynn held out his hand, graciously accepting the two items. Andre continued as he was, completely ignoring Flynn. "So, repairs? Here, hand me yer blade, and I'll get ye out there in no time."

Oscar waved his hand, dismissing it. "It would be rude of me to bypass your current customers. Please, I can wait."

Flynn tried to get Andre's attention, picking up his claymore and holding it out, along with the two shards of titanite. "Please, help me. I have the titanite, I promise you I'll have more next time."

"Fine, pup, give it here!" Andre thrust out his hand, beckoning for the sword. Without any hesitation Flynn handed it over, along with the titanite. "Now, observe a master who's perfected his craft!"

Andre swept the sword off his anvil that he was working on, the claymore replacing it. Taking one of the two pieces of titanite in his hand he held it out, directly above the claymore. With his other hand he lifted up his hammer, sending it crashing down. A large ring echoed through the chamber as the titanite shattered, exploding into a fine, black powder. The powder seemed to almost seep into the weapon, the blade becoming noticeably more lustrous as a result.

He looked up to Flynn, a smile etched across his old face. "Ye can see it, can't ye? The blade's already stronger, the titanite already doing its work. I'm surprised ye were even able to get this far with this ol' hunk of steel as it were. I suppose that's commendable, if not foolish. Now, I think it's ready for some more."

He took the second piece of titanite, repeating the process. Yet again, the tiny rock shattered into a powder, being absorbed into the sword. The blade, again, almost seemed to sharpen as i watched it, the titanite somehow reacting to the metal. Andre held out the weapon, presenting it to him. "Now, there's ye a real weapon. Don't come back with just one next time, or I'll have to turn ye around."

Flynn tilted his head, sheathing the sword. "And why's that?"

Andre let out a huff. "Titanite's a strange thing. Nearly all metal takes it, and even some woods. Heck, I bet I could even take the little miss's robes and make 'em tougher!" He cleared his throat, continuing. "Anyway, point is I can't tell ye just how it all works, all I know is that it does. What I do know, however, is that the more titanite ye feed a weapon, the more resistant it becomes to it, the more ye need to get any sort of reaction out of the stuff. One one two two three, that's what I've found out after all these years. Ye try and feed it one a third time and the powder simply makes a mess on the floor!"

"And what happens after three?" Flynn prodded, the question seemingly out of pure curiosity. I could see that he was interested in all of this, the way he was so intently focused on the old smith.

"After three, nothing. I tried using four, but I don't have enough fingers, I just end up spilling the damned things on the floor!" He pointed over to his forge, a dim light billowing out of it. "However, part of it might be me weak ember. Since you don't know, blacksmiths here are known for their embers, and I've had this one for so many years it's starting to lose its light." He held up his hammer, tossing it around. "I can only heat this so much with this little flame before I'm just burning time. If I were to get me hands on a brighter ember, and some larger pieces of titanite, perhaps I could keep going."

"I'll find you one, you have my word as a knight. I'll find you an ember."

Andre simply laughed, pointing towards Oscar. "You hear this? He plans to find an ember!" The smith turned his attention back towards Flynn. "Well pup you've got spunk, I'll give ye that. Since ye seem adamant on helping me, I'll let ye in on another little detail: not all titanite is like this, and they react to weapons in vastly different ways."

He held out his hands, counting off. "There's four other types I've heard of, besides what ye've already gotten yer hands on. First, ye got green titanite. It's quite a versatile rock, that one, capable of priming a weapon for a multitude of different options. Can't say I've worked with the stuff much, but I've always wanted to get me an ember that could work with it." He pointed to a second finger. "Next, ye got white titanite. Again, can't say I've ever worked with it, but it's a perplexing form of the rock. From what I understand, it's capable of imbuing a weapon with divine power, though it's been quite a long time since anyone's seen an ember capable of handling the stuff.

He held up a third finger, continuing on. "Next, ye've got red titanite. Wretched stuff, that red titanite. Never heard of a smith that was able to handle it properly. However, put enough into a weapon, and its very strike is capable of burning your foes." Finally, the fourth finger. "Last, and quite honestly least, is blue titanite. Fairly worthless if ye ask me, but those blabbering oafs from Vinheim do seem to fancy it. It allows the wielder to tap into and transfer their own arcane power into the blades, great for those that hide behind their catalyst and throw their damned sorceries at ye! Don't ever let me catch ye with blue titanite, or yer gonna find yerself out of a smith."

Flynn was enraptured, not even moving as Andre continued talking. "Is...is there anything else?"

Andre laughed, echoing around the room. "I'll tell ye what pup, I've never seen anyone as curious about this stuff as ye! Most of ye just throw a bunch of titanite in me face and ask for a sharper blade, but I can tell yer not like that. Yes there is one more form of titanite, exceptionally rare. We smiths refer to it as twinkling titanite, and it's not like anything else ye'll ever see. Lustrous, the stuff is, almost dazzling to look at. Some weapons just don't seem to take titanite, no matter how much ye try and force it. Ages ago, I once was asked to put a whole slab of titanite onto someone's favorite sword, and all that ended up happening was I made the fool sweep my floors after he'd wasted it!" He paused, collecting himself. "Anyways, for whatever doesn't seem to react to the normal titanites, twinkling titanite always seems to do the trick. Usually its the stuff that ye don't see too often. In fact…" he squinted his eyes, staring at Flynn. "Here, lend me yer shield. I've never seen someone carrying that before, and I'm quite interested. If the titanite reacts, consider it a gift, but I have me doubts."

Nodding, Flynn handed over the black knight's shield, and Andre set it on his anvil. The smith reached down and took a piece of titanite, setting it on the shield. I covered my ears as the hammer struck down on the shield, a loud ring echoing through the room once again.

Andre held up the shield, and I watched as the powder simply slid off the front, falling onto the floor. "As I thought, looks like ye found yerself a twinkling shield. Twinkling titanite's quite easy to work with, so if ye find any of the stuff you know where to find me."

Flynn stood up, putting away his claymore. "I will do everything I can to help you, Andre. You might not believe me, but I will."

Andre chuckled, standing up and patting Flynn on the back. "Pup, yer not too bad. Maybe a bit too ambitious for yer own good, but so was I when I first landed here from Astora." Andre walked over, to Osar. "Now, Oscar, ye said ye needed repairs? Let's get you fixed up."

As the two of them settled down, I walked back upstairs, Flynn following me to the bonfire. The two of us sat down, basking in the warmth. This time, however, I noted that Flynn seemed to still have his wits about him, his gaze occasionally wandering about the room.

"Hey...feeling better? Don't play dumb with me brother, I know you were hollowing again. Seems like your chat with Andre might have been beneficial in that regard."

He lifted his hands up and took off his helmet, setting it on the ground. His face...it was still marred, but not nearly as bad as it had been last time. "Yeah...I don't think I need to explain it for you to know. But I think I've figured it out now...a way to stave it off."

"And what's that?"

He pointed towards his claymore. "To grow stronger, but also to grow my weapons stronger. I can tell that you're going to outgrow me, so please don't try and argue with me on that. If I solely devote myself to defending you, I'll eventually go hollow, there's no doubt in my mind. I know that you, as a Warrior of Sunlight, swore to help others that need your help. Well...I never was as selfless as you are, Resa. I solely wish to improve myself, to be the best version of me that I can be."

He was dead serious, not flinching for a second. "I hate seeing you in this state, Flynn. I don't think that should come as a surprise. If you want to grow your own strength, I won't argue with that for a moment. You're already a force to be reckoned with, and I can only imagine what you could be like if you choose to pursue this. Just...please don't let this lust for power consume you."

"It won't, Resa, you have my word. I'll still be who I am, just with sharper swords, thicker shields, and better armor. The man inside all that is still going to be your brother, through and through."

I smiled the way he said it calming my nerves. "Alright. I'm going to take a rest for a bit, recover some of my strength. I know you're itching to go find some titanite, so I'll leave you to that. Please, stay out of the church though. Once I'm rested, I'd like to explore that with you for the first time, together."

"You got it, sister." With that, he slung his claymore over his shoulder, walking up the stairs.

He was changing...I just wasn't sure yet if it was for the better.

 **Word Count: 7957**

 **Total Word Count: 42462**


	6. Chapter 6

**Flynn**

 **SL20 - 16 VIT - 10 ATT - 13 END - 20 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL20 - 13 VIT - 16 ATT - 12 END - 12 STR - 10 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 20 FTH**

 **Flynn**

I returned to the bonfire yet again, my tireless quest for titanite having finally drawn to a close. I didn't know how many times I'd been in this position, rampaging around the church and clearing out all signs of life, or unlife as it was...I'd lost count of how many of them I'd killed. I'd thrown away countless gauntlets, swords, shields, helmets and the like, my handiwork with a sword making it even more easy to disarm and game my opponents.

However...I'd done it. Thirty-one pieces of the stuff, as much as Andre said he could use. He'd said that armor was different, that it grew more resilient to the power of titanite faster, and because of that only six shards were needed before there was no more that he could do with his current ember.

I had to thank Oscar for pointing out where to find titanite...I would have never thought that the knights would have it. Even then it was curious...sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't. I'd find myself doing a round and bringing back two pieces on a rare occasion, but often times one rotation around the church turned up empty handed. With my titanite in tow, I descended the stairs to Andre, finding the old smith still hammering away on a new piece of equipment. I assumed he heard my footsteps as I walked down, already turned to face me as made my way down to him.

"Yer back pup! I'm willing to guess yer here for reinforcement?"

I simply nodded, pulling out the titanite. I could barely hold them all in my hands, the tiny pieces spilling everywhere. "Like you said...thirty one. The remaining seven for the armor and six for each armor piece."

Andre stared wide-eyed at the pile, mesmerized. "Thirty one, eh? Pup, I can't remember the last time I've seen that much titanite in one place. Most of ye newcomers walk down holding five or six and expect that that'll cover everything, and I just laugh at them. But ye...ye were actually serious. Sit down, pup, and I'll turn ye into a veritable beast of an undead."

I took a seat by his anvil, holding out my sword. Already, with the two pieces of titanite that had been put into it I'd noticed a difference. The blade felt sharper, more easily able to cleave through armor than before. It was a mystical sharpness though...even when I ran my thumb over the blade I couldn't feel a physical difference. Like Andre had said...you didn't have to know how it all works, you just had to know that it does.

Andre took two of the titanites, holding them in the space between three of his fingers. He brought the hammer down on it, the titanite breaking into powder. I watched in awe as it seemed to absorb itself into the weapon, dissipating. He repeated the process two more times, consuming five more of the titanite shards in the process. When he was done, he held up the blade. "There, now ye don't have to be running around these parts with a butter slicer. Now, strip down, and I'll get yer armor ready."

I shook my head, snapping back to reality. "I, uh...what?"

He tossed his hammer, pointing at my chestpiece. "Well, would ye like me to start beating yer armor while yer still in it?"

I shook my head, immediately reaching for my helmet. Slowly, I took off everything as I fiddled with the straps, not wanting to ask Andre for help in removing them. Eventually I was sitting there before him in little more than a loincloth, not much too different than the smith. He tossed my helmet on the anvil, reaching down for the titanite.

He hadn't even mentioned what I looked like...not that I wanted it to be brought up. I looked hollow, extremely so now that I was standing here in the open. I'd run back to the bridge we'd met the dragon on and explored it a bit further, finding some rats in a sewer system beneath it. They seemed to have humanity on occasion, and I'd turned it into part of my loop through the church, turning back just after I'd cleaned them out. I'd built up a safe supply, maybe five or six...just in case I'd needed it.

I'd found a new purpose, hunting down the titanite, as I quickly realized keeping Resa alive would soon prove unnecessary. I wanted to kill, and kill gloriously, bringing my blade through the hearts of everything I'd seen. It wasn't honorable or commendable...I didn't care. I lived for the fight, lived for the punishment, and lived for the kill. If it was my own, so be it...I would come back, stronger, and finish what I hadn't before.

Finally, Andre finished with my armor, handing it back to me. It looked more durable, though the feeling was more subconscious than anything else. It didn't appear any different, just like the claymore, but somehow, I knew that it was. "Well pup, it seems that's all I'll be doing for ye today. I'll be around...if ye make it back."

I put on my armor, Andre turning his attention back towards his current project, a sword that seemed more aligned with a toothpick than anything else. Once I had suited back up I returned upstairs, spotting Resa. She was sitting idly by the fire, patiently waiting the entire time as I'd rampaged around the church. Seeing me return from Andre, however, she stood up, withdrawing her talisman.

"Looking quite fine, brother. Tell me, when's the marriage scheduled for you and Andre? I feel like I should have gotten an invitation by now." She paused, waving her own comment off. "On a more serious note, I've had quite a bit of time to think while you were out terrorizing the populace. What do you think about this bonfire?"

I looked at her, perplexed. "It's...warm? I'm sorry but I don't quite follow."

Resa shook her head, letting out a gentle sigh. "For the firekeeper, come on. Don't tell me you've forgotten about her. You said you'd take her somewhere better and we haven't been back to see her since. So I'm asking, what do you think about this one? She'd have company downstairs...if perhaps a little too grumpy for my taste."

Regret filled up inside me...I'd completely forgotten about the firekeeper. I'd been so focused on improving my own strength that I'd left her there, trapped in that cell. "Yes, absolutely. Let's get her."

Resa held up her hands and blocked the staircase up. "Slow down brother. I know you want to prove yourself to her, but let's just wait for a moment. The bell is right there, and the church is still extremely dangerous. Let's try and make our way through it before we try and get her here, right next to that massive knight."

I faltered, trying to force myself to think that she wasn't right. I wanted to help the firekeeper...I'd told her I'd come back, and then I didn't. But Resa was right...we had other matters that required our attention. "Okay, you're right. But as soon as we've rung that bell we go back, agreed?"

"Agreed. Now come on, let's go. I know you've been eyeing that knight ever since we've first seen him."

I took the stairs up from the bonfire, emerging back out to the main floor of the tower. The two of us crossed the bridge back to the platform to the side of the church, the same hollows still standing there. I was surprised they didn't fear me now, if they were even capable of feeling such emotion. I'd killed them...I couldn't even remember how many times. Their tactics had become predictable, a mindless charge into an overhead strike, into a horizontal slash...simple.

I walked up to the the two swordsman, my shield at the ready. I knew their moves before they even swung, able to read the subtle movements of their body before they were even aware of what they were doing. I brought my shield up and my sword to the side, deflecting both swords at once. At the same time, I ducked my shoulder down, feeling the arrow bounce off my shoulder.

"My turn." I thrust my shield out to the side, knocking one of the hollows off balance. I pivoted around, lining the three of us up in a straight line. Just as I jabbed my sword forward I tilted my head backward, acutely aware of the archer's ability to notch another arrow. The arrow whizzed past my head and I took a step forward, holding my sword at my hip. I gored the hollow directly in front of me, my claymore slicing through the flesh as if it was paper. I kept advancing, though, skewering the second hollow as well. I raised my sword up, both of them still trapped on the blade. My strength had grown immeasurably during my search for titanite, and the claymore no more felt like a burden to carry, feeling no heavier than my broadsword. I flung the blade forward, both hollows flying off the sword and towards the archer...or so I thought. As the two hollows burst into souls in the air, I watched a Lightning Spear sail through the air, breaking through the archer's skull.

I turned back to Resa, my blade dropping down. "I'm pretty sure I had it covered, Resa."

She smiled, shaking her talisman. "Oh, you most certainly did, but what kind of sibling would I be if I didn't try to play with your toys? Besides, the more space you give me, the more I can help you. You might be able to deal with these, but there's going to be something in the future you'll be needing my help on, right?"

"Yeah...I guess that's true." I glanced down at my claymore, a thin layer of blood coating the blade. Right here right now...I felt like I could take on the gods themselves, should they appear. However, these were enemies I had faced countless times before...I couldn't let my guard down just yet.

I proceeded forward towards the side entrance of the church, holding one hand out behind me. "I'll try to draw the knight out, rather than try to fight in here. I'll be counting on you to give me some cover fire, got it?" Resa nodded her head, and I continued advancing towards the church.

Inside, to my right, was the knight. Everything about him simply was massive: Massive greatsword, massive greatshield, massive armor. I'd thought I recognized the armor previously, but now that I was up close I was certain. The captains of our militia wore it, a special strain of steel that was highly resilient. However...I didn't know what kind of smith built it for ten foot tall giants.

I crept towards the giant, my comparatively diminutive shield held at the ready. After a few more steps he turned to face me, lifting up his great sword. The knight took slow, steady steps towards me, the massive weight of his equipment seeming to slow him down. I began backing up, trying to lure him away and out into the open.

As I crept backwards I heard another noise...some sort of shaking, metal clinking against metal. It wasn't chainmail, though...I was well aware of that noise. I looked around the room, searching for the noise, and spotting it immediately. There, on the upper balcony, was...I wasn't even sure what to call it. It wore cloth garb with several metal rings interconnected on the front, which was the source of the noise. In its hand it held a sort of trident, though it seemed to be more for show than anything else. However, the strangest feature was its helmet. The helmet holes for three sets of eyes, each stacked on top of each other. I couldn't tell how many of those were also just for show and how many were for seeing, and I quite honestly didn't want to.

While I was inspecting this...this thing, it held up its trident, shaking it around. A blue glow began to form at the middle point of the trident, growing brighter and larger the longer it shook it. After a few seconds of this, the glow began travelling towards me, arcing its way around the pillars.

I held up my shield, but it seemed to do little to stop the strange new attack. It erupted around me, bathing my shield in the blue glow and pushing past it, seeping through the cracks in my armor. It was quite a different type of pain that I was use to, a sort of cold burn wracking my body for a few seconds. I made a note to not let that happen again.

I turned my attention back to the knight, now much more intent on leaving the church than before. I backed out until I could see the line of the sun against the church and continued retreating, the knight obediently following me outside. Behind me, I could hear Resa maneuvering around to the side, getting in position.

Just as the knight crossed out of the shadows Resa fired, the crackling lightning shrieking through the knight's armor, catching it off guard. The spear cut through its shoulder and continued going, out the back of its arm. The knight let out a roar of pain as it turned towards her, charging.

"Not on my watch!" I rushed forwards with my claymore, taking a chunk out of its left leg. Blood began gushing from the wound, the wound that had been refined by my lust for titanite. I thrust forward again, cutting a hole straight through its leg before retracting. Still, however, it continued charging towards Resa, adamant to take her out.

I circled around to the side, seeing how she was faring. Unsurprisingly, she seemed terrified as she was backing away, the knight's imposing presence bearing down on her. I continued my rampage on the man, now hacking at its sword arm. I was merciless, doing everything I could to divert its attention from my sister.

Thankfully it flung itself around, its shield crashing into me. I staggered back from the impact as it charged forward, the massive weight of its greatsword ready to crash down on me. I launched my entire body forward as the knight started bringing his sword down, protecting myself in the pocket closes to his body. I brought my sword up from the ground, taking a significant portion out of one of its legs. I backed up, resetting the pace of the fight.

"Hey, Resa, can I get a lightning spear at the base of his neck in a couple seconds? I'd like to try and make some more lightning rods."

"Absolutely, just keep keeping him off me!"

I threw myself forward, launching myself at the knight once again. I brought my sword up towards its shield, knowing full well the attack had no hope of inflicting damage. Just as I'd expected however, the knight tilted the greatshield back, trying to protect itself from the blow.

I charged forward, planting one foot at the base of the greatshield, and then another halfway up. I launched myself up into the air, using the shield as a sort of springboard. Behind me was Resa, her face contorted with shock.

"Now!"

She sat there for a split second, but thankfully started to lift up her talisman. At the same time that I started descending, still above the knight's head, I saw the spear form, her hand crackling with energy. I lined up the angle, tilting my sword slightly to the right to catch the spear. As I descended, I angled the tip of my sword towards the back of his head, a flared neck of the armor acting as a funnel more than anything else. My sword crunched through the knight's flesh, and then again at the base of the spine, and kept going. My full weight was behind the sword as it descended and kept breaking through vertebrate after vertebrate, ravaging the knights' back.

I had to let go of the sword, my body now colliding with the knight's shoulders and head, falling clumsily to the ground. However, four feet of sword had buried itself in the knight's back, likely splitting the spinal column cleanly in two. At the same moment that I hit the ground, I looked up, seeing the lightning spear make contact with my sword. The claymore lit up, electricity coursing through the blade as the spear continued through it. Every muscle in the knight's body froze up as he was unable to move, likely paralyzed from the assault.

The wind was knocked out of me as I fell into the ground, my body slamming against the inside of my armor. My vision went blurry for a moment but then returned, and I heard my claymore hit the ground. I looked up over my armor, seeing the knight gone and Resa standing on the other side. I drug myself to my feet as she advanced towards me, kneeling down and dragging my claymore across the ground.

"You know, I worked pretty hard to reinforce that...you should try and take better care of it."

"Well, I'll do that when you start taking better care of yourself. Do you need healing?"

I waved her off, shaking my head. "No...just need to catch my breath. Thank you for the support back there...you make for a good decoy."

She dropped the sword on top of me. "I don't think that was a compliment...I hope it wasn't. Anyways, thank you for saving my skin back there. No joke, I was pretty sure I was going to get flattened."

I gripped the my sword, getting back to my feet. "And you know I wasn't about to let that happen. Now, there was this strange...I guess it was a mage...in the upper floor of the church. Looked like some freak, but my shield and armor didn't seem to do much to it. I can try to distract it if you want to get a few good hits off on it."

She held up her talisman, tossing it about. "I'm not feeling too bad yet...I can probably take it out." I nodded, and advanced towards the church once again, holding up my shield as we entered.

The strange caster held up its trident again, beginning to dance about. I hid behind my shield as the strange blast arced towards me. I hid behind my shield and mitigated as much of the pain as I could, but it still burned through me. I turned my head to look at Resa, hiding behind my shield. She had formed her first spear and lobbed it at the caster, ripping through the shoulder.

Suddenly, the caster seemed to change its motions, the blue aura dissipating from the tip of its trident. I sat there perplexed, and yet still hiding behind my shield as I awaited the next strike. Resa launched another spear at it, plowing another hole through it.

From the stairs to our right side, the ones leading up to the upper floor, I heard a rumbling. I pivoted my stance towards it, holding my guard. The rumbling grew louder until a hollow burst forth from the stairs. As it charged at me another one came sprinting down, sword drawn and at the ready.

Suddenly, six more came down in a veritable mass of flesh, all eight undead now rushing towards me. I shouldered my claymore, preparing for the worst. Behind me, Resa fired a third spear, this one yet again puncturing the caster yet again.

The first hollow struck my shield, the blow seeming much stronger than I'd expected. Another sword struck it, my stance wavering. These...these were no ordinary undead. After two more strikes my shield finally dropped, the swarm of undead still charging towards me. They began slashing into my armor, somehow managing to treat the titanite-enhanced armor as if it were made of cloth. My flesh was ripped in multiple locations, several swords raking across my skin.

I swung my claymore wildly in front of my body, managing to cut through two of them before my strength faltered. Something about these hollows was off, the way they swung their swords causing pain far beyond what their frail limbs suggested. I momentarily flicked my vision towards that strange caster, still dancing like a madman as he held his trident in the air. Another lightning spear ripped straight through its midsection, Resa still standing strong.

I retreated, swinging my sword forward and hacking down two more of them. However, four more charged at me, their swords crashing down. My shoulders cried out in pain from their cuts but I still stood my ground, refusing to give in. I brought my sword down, reducing the number of foes to three.

"Resa, if you're unoccupied, I could use some help!" I hid behind my shield as I skirted around, blocking two incoming sword swings. I thrust my shield outward, knocking them back. My shield, and sword, were starting to feel heavy...I wasn't ready to give in just yet.

"Coming right up!" I surged forward, decapitating another hollow. With two more remaining the fight began to be somewhat more manageable. I felt strength surge through my body as Resa's miracle started to take place, the lacerations in my shoulders and chest closing up swiftly. With newfound confidence I rushed forward, goring one more hollow. I swung my sword horizontally, ending the final foe.

Just then, three of the strange knights that had been around the front of the church rushed at me, the fight not ending. I gored one of them before they even made it to me, these knights' attack patterns etched into my mind after hunting for titanite. One of them raised up its sword, the position quite awkward. I'd become use to this, knowing full well that any attack on my part would be parried. With that in mind, I focused my attention on the other one, which was hiding behind its shield. I brought my claymore down, the sharp and heavy blade cutting through its relatively flimsy shield. I cut it down before it had a chance to react, leaving only one of the enemies left.

It jabbed its sword forward, my shield primed and ready to block the strikes. The sword bounced harmlessly off of it and I lunged forward, sticking my sword through its chest. I brought the sword upward, ripping upwards and cleaving its body vertically just before it burst into souls. I knelt down, hands on my knees, regaining my breath. Those hollows from upstairs...they weren't normal. Perhaps it was that caster that had done something, but they fought with a ferociousness I hadn't seen before, and with a strength unlike any others like them. It had to be that caster...there was no other way.

With the room now empty besides the two of us, I started looking around. Resa quickly made her way to the altar that the knight had been guarding, kneeling down at its base. At the same time, I moved towards the staircase, inspecting what seemed to be some sort of...elevator?"

Just then, I heard more movement on the staircase. I turned about, seeing one more knight standing there, charging towards me. How it managed to stay put when the hollows rushed down I didn't know, but there it was, lunging at me. I deflected the thrust with my shield and retaliated with a thrust of my own, puncturing a hole through its chest. It burst into souls as I retracted my blade, throwing it back over my shoulder.

I kept my shield constantly at the ready now, not sure when another foe would try to sneak up on me. Res walked over to me from the altar, holding a peculiar object in her hands. It looked like some sort of sun, with white, writhing strands emanating from a central core. It gave off a faint light, fitting cleanly into the palm of her hand. "Any idea what this is? It feels...alive, somehow."

I shook my head. "Haven't seen anything like it, but probably safe to keep for the time being. On a separate note...I found an elevator, and I'd like to know what's on the other side. I know you've shot off quite a few lightning spears, so I don't want to send you down somewhere you're uncomfortable with."

"Even if I was running out of energy, which I'm not, you seem to be holding your own quite excellently. Let's go see where it leads." The two of us walked towards the elevator and crammed inside, barely room for both of us. We descended down a large elevator, the shaft closed around us. After a few seconds, we started slowing down, the shaft opening up around us to a familiar sight.

We were back...back where the crows had dropped us off. It felt like so long ago, when we first arrived in Lordran, and yet it also felt recent. Time seemed to have almost no meaning here, the sun never setting, with no way to tell how long it had been since you'd last seen a bonfire. And yet, here we were, where it all began.

As the elevator door opened up, a thought crossed my mind. "We're back here...I can get the firekeeper. I'm willing to assume you'd like to have a talk with Petrus?"

She nodded. "Though I still don't have a full grasp on this concept of souls, I'm willing to bet that I have enough that he would be willing to hear me out. If you're going to the firekeeper, try not to stop at the bonfire...right now we've got a clean path from here Andre's tower, and I'd rather not have to watch you be attacked by eight naked men again."

"That...yeah. Alright, I'll meet you back here when you're all ready." The two of us descended down some steps, wrapping around until we were back at the core of the ruined area.

The warrior still sat there, staring into the fire, only looking up once I'd passed him. "Oh, you again. Your sister still around here, or have you two lost touch...no matter. I saw your friend, what was he, Oscar? He was walking down to the ruins beneath here, seemed mighty keen on something. I'd let him be if I were you...strange vibes from that one."

I simply ignored him, walking down to the firekeeper. Oscar had done quite a bit for us, and I wasn't going to listen to this madman's judgement for more than a moment. I made my way to the firekeeper, still finding her trapped behind the bars. At the sight of me she lifted her head, looking up towards me.

"Hey...I've come to get you out of here, like I said I would." The words pained me to say, reminding me that I'd nearly forgotten about her. "There's another bonfire, one where you can be safe. There's a smith right below it...he can be grumpy at times, but he's a nice man. He would protect you without hesitation if you needed it."

She scooted forward, her hands gripping the bars of her cell. Those vivid blue eyes tore through me again, stronger than any blade ever could be. "I can get you out of here, if you'd like. I've grown strong, strong enough to free you. Would...would you like to move there? I don't want y-"

She thrust her hand through the bars, putting one single finger on my helmet, shushing me. She nodded her head, before silently retreating.

"Well...here goes something." I gripped one of the bars of her prison, finding it firmly stuck in the ground. Perhaps I wasn't strong enough to simply wrench it free, but I wasn't about to let her know that. I brought out my claymore, motioning for her to move to the back of her cell. With all my might I swung the sword forward, wedging it into one of the bars. I cut through a fairly significant portion of the bar, and even more on my second swing. However, I could see she was covering her ears from the deafening noise, and put my sword away.

"I'm sorry...just needed to weaken it a bit. I'll have you out of here in no time." I gripped the bar again, pulling on it with all my strength. I could feel it bending ever-so-slightly, the damage I'd done to it enough for me to work with. After a short while of pulling I snapped it in two, the bar flying out of the ground from the sheer torque I had been putting on it. Inside the cell, the firekeeper moved forward, looking out.

"Can you fit through?" She crawled forward, her thin frame easily able to maneuver through the opening. As soon as she got out she flung her arms around me, her whole body seeming extremely frail in my arms. She could barely stand, years compounded years weakening her muscles to the point of uselessness. I sheathed my sword and reached down, grabbing her by the legs. I swung her up, her arms instinctively wrapping about my neck to keep from falling back.

It felt odd...holding her in my arms. It felt so tender as I walked up the steps, the mute firekeeper hanging around me. I passed by the warrior, unable to slip by him unnoticed...he stood up, actually lifting up his sword for the first time since I'd seen him. "Hey, you can't just take her away from here! The fire...what'll happen to it?"

I froze, unable to respond. I hadn't even thought of that...and I didn't know what would happen. Did a firekeeper strengthen the fire, or was their existence what kept it alive? I assumed the firekeeper knew this, but...she had no way to answer. To my surprise, she held out her hand, doing her best to respond. She pointed to the fire, and then a thumbs up. Next she held out two fingers, bringing them to closer, signifying...the fire. It would dwindle, but not die.

The warrior simply threw up his hand, waving us off. "Fine. Guess it'll just be me around here...guess that's for the better anyways." He sat back down where he was, tossing his sword back on the ground. I stood there, unsure of what to respond. He waved my onward. "What, I've said what needs to be said. If you're leaving go ahead and do it."

I nodded, the warrior's temper a new concept for me. The firekeeper wrapped her arm back around my neck as I returned back to the staircase. Resa was waiting there, and she eyed me up, seeing the woman held in my hands. "Flynn...this is quite sudden."

I shook my head as we stepped into the elevator. "Resa, she's been in that cell for so long she can barely walk. It was the only thing I could do." I looked down at her, the silent figure still there. My emotions were rolling about inside me...I wasn't quite sure what to think of her. When I looked up Resa stifled a smile, trying to play it off as if I hadn't noticed.

We exited the elevator, walking across the church and towards the bonfire. With the path cleared the trek was simple, the weight of the firekeeper nearly unnoticeable in my grip. Finally, we got to the bonfire, and I gently set her down in the corner. The room was fairly well contained, with Andre below and the church above. There had been a third doorway out, towards a sort of fortress. I hadn't looked too much into it, seeing the gate at the front shut. It looked like there was a corpse out front, clad in a bulbous white armor. With the church as pressing as it was, I had set it aside for later.

I turned down to the firekeeper, sitting down to look at her. The warmth of the fire illuminated her features, her cold blue eyes seeming to soften in the light. "You'll be safe here...I promise. I'll protect you, should there be any danger. I'll tell Andre that you're here in a bit, but my sister and I need to see to the church at the moment."

I stood back up, turning to Resa. I didn't want to leave, not after just getting her here, but I'd been looking at the bell for so long now...I had to know what happened when it was rung. "You ready?"

She looked at me coyly, eyebrow raised. "I am, if you are. Let's go make some music." The two of us left the bonfire, heading back up to the church.

I braced myself, knowing that the conversation would come. It didn't take long, barely even leaving the tower before Resa started talking. "You two are so adorable. Don't even try to argue."

"Sister...we have more important matter to attend to. Please just drop this for now."

She laughed, shaking her head. "And let you try and weasel out of this without a healthy dose of sibling torment? Not on your life. Just admit it Flynn, you think she's pretty. That's all I want to hear you say."

"I...if it gets you to stop, then fine. She is pretty. Happy now?" Another thought crossed my mind, half the reason for why we had been back at the ruins. "Also...what happened with Petrus?"

Resa waved aside the question. "He said he only offered members to the Way of the White covenant. I wasn't even aware that I had been part of such a thing before, but most clerics and knights are part of it whether they are aware of it or not. I told him that I wasn't about to abandon the Warriors of Sunlight, and the conversation ended there. Now come on, let's go." The two of us hurried forward, rushing back into the church and up the staircase. We moved onwards, past where the caster had been earlier. There were two paths, one of which wrapping around towards the back of the church while the other went upward.

I turned to Resa, pointing down the hallway. "The bell is in the back of the church. Quite likely we'll find a way back there." I moved onwards, holding my shield up. However, it seemed to loop around, leading to a dead end.

Resa pointed behind me, towards a wall. "I...I see some light from behind the wall. Would mister claymore like to see what's on the other side?"

I turned towards her, and back to the wall. I brushed my hand up against, it, feeling it give ever-so-slightly from even a simple touch. There was definitely something back there...time to find out what, exactly. I pushed my shield forward, the bricks crumbling down. Inside was a simple staircase...and what seemed to be a jail. I crept forward, cautiously, the room quite small.

At the top of stairs was the lone cell...currently filled. Inside was a man in gleaming gold armor, and quite strange at that. His helmet had numerous small holes in it, as well as several strips of metal looking somewhat like a crown. However, his chestpiece was...well, unique. Two molded arms wrapped around the front of it, as if an imaginary being was hugging him from behind.

As Resa moved up next to me, she held out her hand, holding me back. "Flynn, we need to go."

Perplexed, I turned to her. "Resa...why?"

She looked at the man, her voice cold and harsh. "What did Solaire say when we met him, do you remember? Oscar had been travelling with a man...a man in gleaming gold armor. I haven't seen anyone else that matches that description, and we've seen Oscar since then."

I turned to the man, nodding. "I see your point. Oscar decided it was necessary to lock him up and build a wall to hide this person from the world...you're right. Let's go."

As we turned the man spoke, his voice raspy and menacing. "I am Lautrec, of Carim. If what you say is true, I can't quite fault you for coming to the conclusion you did. However...Oscar is the one you should fear."

I shook my head, leaving the room. "I have half a mind to slice you through with my sword right now, Lautrec of Carim. Take my passivity as a blessing, and don't you dare try to tarnish Oscar's name. Now rot in that cell until hollowness consumes you, filth. Resa...let's go."

She nodded, turning back as we departed the cell. We walked out the hallway, looking up towards the ladders that led up. "Well Flynn, looks like there's only one way up now. You ready?"

I shouldered my claymore, holding up my shield. "Resa, do I even need to answer that? I've prepared my equipment and my body for this. Let's go." I started ascending the stairs, until eventually we made it to the roof. I took a step out onto the roof, seeing the doorway to the bell tower behind a closed door. Lining the edge of the roof were several gargoyles, pieces and parts of them broken off from years of wear. I turned to Resa, the two of us advancing onwards.

Right as we'd crossed half of the rooftop, I heard a sort of...crumbling. I turned about, trying to spot the source of the noise, but found nothing.

After a few more steps, it happened again. This time I held up my shield, turning around. "Who's there. Show yourself."

From behind me, Resa shrieked. I spun around, finding the source of the noise. One of the gargoyles had charged at her, wielding a comically large halberd in one hand, a fairly simple shield in the other. The initial strike sent Resa flying across the roof, the immense range of the halberd actually managing to hit behind her.

I felt it again...the adrenaline. This was a fight, a fight I was ready for. The gargoyle was nearly three times my size, but I still glared it down, ready for combat. I charged forward, sending my claymore crashing down into its shoulder, the rocky exterior meaning my strike did very little in actuality. Still I pressed on, a relentless assault of swings raking across the gargoyle's hide, each one chipping off pieces of it.

The beast swung its halberd across, my shield doing little. I was flung into the far wall, and yet that wasn't all. The gargoyle's tail appeared to be some sort of...axe? The tail swiped at me, cutting across the center of my armor, leaving a trail of blood. From across the rooftop I could see Resa, hiding in the corner. She held up her talisman and formed a spear, hurling it at the gargoyle. I shook my head...she'd drawn its attention.

As the beast directed its attention towards her I lunged forward, chopping at the tail of the creature. I chased after it, the beast rushing towards Resa. She skirted around it as it chopped downwards with its axe, sending shingles flying. The halberd continued horizontally and I braced myself, still being knocked several feet back as it crashed into my shield.

I rushed forwards, unwilling to give in. My wounds were deep...but not too deep. As I got within striking range I dropped down, sliding beneath it. My sword dragged across the underside of its stomach, carving a line across the underside of its stomach. I emerged from the other end of the beast, thrusting the tip of my sword down and into the roof to avoid falling off the edge. I flipped over, my hands twisting around the blade until I was back on my feet.

The beast charged forward, towards Resa, its halberd slashing through her shoulder. Blood quickly seeped from the wound, staining her clothes, but more importantly causing her shield arm to waver.

Just as I began rushing back towards the beast...I heard another crash. I whirled about, my view being blocked by a wall of red flame billowing towards me. I held up my shield, the strange properties of the weapon seeming to absorb the fire around me. I advanced towards the source of the flames, momentarily having to divert my attention.

As the flames subsided, I could see the beast that caused them...another gargoyle. This one seemed somewhat more brittle than the first one that we had been fighting, many of the ornate features of its 'armor' already having been worn down over the passage of time. Still, it was not to be trifled with as I could already see it rearing back, getting ready to release another gout of flame. I charged towards the side, feeling the heat of the fire just grazing my back as I skirted around it. I started hacking at one of its wings, the stony appendage drooping under my brutality.

The beast lashed out with its claws, raking across my armor. I was hurting now...my midsection likely in tatters if I could see it right now. I looked around the field, quickly analyzing my options. Resa had been backed into a corner, forced to hide behind her shield to prevent the gargoyle's halberd from splitting her in two. The beast I was fighting seemed to be wielding an identical weapon, but also possessed the ability to breath flame. I decided on my action, dashing forward to execute it.

I brought my blade up towards the gargoyle's neck, hoping that perhaps I could damage whatever allowed it to produce fire. However, the hide there was just as rocky as the rest of it, my swing managing to do almost nothing to it. Frustration broiled inside me...I'd spent all that time searching for titanite, and yet it didn't feel as if it had done anything. Perhaps my weapon would simply bounce off of it rather than do minimal damage...I had no way to know.

However, there was one weapon that seemed to be quite effective, and it was being wielded by both gargoyles. I sheathed my claymore and advanced towards the gargoyle's arm, holding up my shield to block an overhead swipe from the beast. Just as it connected I reached upward, pinning the halberd between my shield and my other forearm. The gargoyle tried to pry the weapon free but I didn't let up, advancing towards the base of the polearm as the plan formed in my head just as fast as I could execute. Once I got sufficiently far down the halberd's handle I lifted my leg up, kicking it. The force of my foot wrenched the weapon free from the gargoyles hands and I immediately reached down and picked it up. The weapon was absurdly long in my hands, likely over a dozen feet long, with a blade at the top made of a similar stone that the gargoyles were. I was forced to put away my shield and grip the weapon with two hands to hold it adequately, allowing me to get enough leverage on it without dragging it across the floor.

This...this was a real weapon. I still struggled to control its massive weight, but it didn't matter. I spun about, holding the halberd out horizontally, making nearly a full rotation to get back to the flame-breathing gargoyle. When I heard the impact it was much more resounding, the sound of stone shattering as the beast took the full force of the blow. As I brought back the polearm I could see that the tip of the weapon also seemed to have broken off, dulling its head.

The gargoyle rushed at me, a glow building at the base of its throat. I sidestepped its attack, bringing the thunderous weight of the halberd around, going in for an overhead strike of my own. I nearly dropped the weapon as it went vertical, but thankfully was able to bring it down on its back. When stone and hide impacted, the handle of the polearm broke in my hand, the weapon embedding itself in the gargoyle's back while I was left with a two foot long stone rod. I tossed the item away, reaching back for my claymore.

I could tell both gargoyles seemed to be wearing thin on life. Whenever they walked, bits of stone seemed to crack and crunch with every step. They were becoming brittle...brittle meant vulnerable. I decided to turn back towards the first gargoyle we had fought, not about to let it get the best of my sister. Just as I approached it its tail lashed out wildly at me, catching me by surprise. Though my sword caught the initial brunt of the blow, it bent around me, managing to cut into my opposing arm. The wound was fairly minimal and I slammed my sword down on the tail...I was done with it.

To my surprise, the swing actually managed to completely sever the tail-axe-hybrid from the body of the gargoyle, leaving behind a stump. With that dealt with I charged forward, circling back around to the front. There, Resa was channeling her talisman, coming to my aid.

"I don't know if you realize...but there's a second one now. Keep me alive, and I'll handle them both." Just as I finished speaking I could feel the wounds feeling my body, sealing up on the spot. I lunged forward, ready to take on the beast. My claymore connected with its shoulder and I pushed all my weight into thrusting the sword forward. I pierced its stone exterior and kept going, carving through a chunk of its shoulder. The beast roared out in pain as I retracted the blade, the damage to its body severely affecting its ability to attack. When it swung its halberd at me the blow just seemed sloppy, and I didn't even budge as it bashed against my shield.

From behind me, Resa launched a lightning spear at the split in its shoulder, managing to widen the wound even more than before. At the same time, the second gargoyle charged forward, a wall of flames coming with it. I grabbed Resa and pushed her behind me, holding up my shield. The fire washed over us, baking into my armor and my flesh.

"Flynn...what are we going to do?"

"I wish I had a better answer besides don't die, but that's about it. See if you can't get inside the bell tower, I'll try to distract them."

Just as the fire died down I lunged forward, taking on both of the gargoyles. At the same time, Resa sprinted around the side of the rooftop, towards the back. The second gargoyle jumped forward, a flap of its wings catching me by surprise as I stumbled backward. The first one followed it up with its halberd, my exposed stance leaving me wide open for the assault. I felt the blade of the halberd slice through my shoulder, splitting pain roaring through my body. I pushed through it, charging in between the two beasts, facing the one that still had a halberd.

I felt the fire of the gargoyle begin bathing my armor, charring my back on the spot. However, I noticed something else...the gargoyle in front of me. It, too, seemed to be baking in the flames, its hide cracking and splitting in infinitely many places. Like clay placed into a kiln it heated up, perfect for...smashing.

I brought my claymore down heavily on the beast, straight on its head. As soon as I hit it it fractured into uncountably many pieces, scattering about the rooftops. With one enemy left it became much easier to concentrate, the double threat no longer an issue. Still, smoke was rising from my body, the pain making each movement a struggle. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Resa, reach the far door, turning back to me. I waved her on, but she simply shook her head, holding up her talisman.

A surge of energy rushed through me as my back swiftly recovered, as did the pain in my shoulder. Thankfully, with its only weapon having been destroyed, all it had at its disposal was fire. From the safety of the far side of the rooftop, Resa began a torrent of lightning spears, each one cutting through its wings.

At the same time, I looked at its throat. Like what had just happened to the previous gargoyle I could tell that the throat was cracked and brittle, the flames it had been spewing out starting to cause wear on its hide. I targeted the area with my claymore, managing to take out a chunk of its neck.

When it next tried to breathe fire, it came pouring out of the hole in its neck, only serving to widen the hole as it went. It looked about in confusion, simultaneously baking its front legs in fire. I targeted both of them, both of them crumbling away after a single strike.

The gargoyle was now nearly completely helpless, its flames now nullified and its front legs gone. It toppled forward, unable to get itself up. Even while defenseless, I showed it no mercy, bringing my claymore down time and time again on its back. Eventually, it crumbled away, exploding into a cloud of souls.

I turned to Resa, sheathing my sword. "I had that...probably."

"And the 'probably' is why I stayed around. Why, would you rather I have just let you handle it on your own."

I thought about it, eventually shaking my head. We were a team...I needed to act like that mattered to me. She had become quite adept at ranged warfare, something I had no interest in learning. At the same time, though, she was an excellent cleric, the only reason I survived that fight being her miracles. At the same time, though, she was my sister. Yes, we fought, but we cared about each other.

The two of us opened the door to the bell tower, seeing a single set of ladders leading upwards. I ascended it as Resa followed, the two of us eventually making our way to the top. There sat the bell, overlooking the entirety of the church, as well as the Burg. A lever appeared to be the operating mechanism, positioned directly beneath the bell. We both reached one hand for it instinctively, this one moment the culmination of our entire time in Lordran.

"Together?"

"Together." We pulled the lever and the bell began to ring, echoing out across the church, the Burg, and wherever else could hear it. Yet...we weren't done. There was another bell, according to the warrior, buried deep below in the ruins of Blighttown...we were ready.

 **Word Count: 8567**

 **Total Word Count: 51028**

 **With my goal for the month done, expect updates to be much less frequent, and I'll stop tracking my word count. I got a pretty helpful review from someone, and I might spend some time actually editing rather than pushing, trying to make all 6 chapters have a cohesive feel.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm back, hoping to get a few more chapters out before I get tied up with schoolwork again. I'll try to aim for a 7-day / 14-day cycle depending on what I can manage so that it's less unpredictable when content will arrive.**

 **Also the character planner I was using lost my local saves so I'm trying to put back together what weapons had been collected. If something doesn't add up kindly let me know and I'll fix it.**

 **Flynn**

 **SL23 - 16 VIT - 10 ATT - 13 END - 23 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL23 - 15 VIT - 16 ATT - 12 END - 12 STR - 10 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 20 FTH**

 **Resa**

The bell rang out, metal clanging against metal in a most sonorous way, sending a shiver down my spine. It finally felt like we'd done something in Lordran...something meaningful. Our work and hardship finally meant something, as the bell's tone rang out across the church.

And yet...we still had so far to go. The warrior had told us that the second one sat in the ruins of Blighttown...a place nobody else had ever mentioned. At this point, our next destination was completely unknown to us. I looked over to Flynn, our hands still gripping the lever that operated the Bell of Awakening. "Well, what now, brother?"

"I was thinking the same thing. We've got, what, two keys that haven't been matched to doors, and several doors that we've been unable to open. There was the door at the base of the demon's tower, as well as the door near Solaire. However...both of those require crossing that damned bridge, which I'm not too keen on." He let go of the lever, picking his claymore back up. "What are you thinking?"

"Truthfully, I'm not too certain. Perhaps Andre might know something? He seem like he's been around long enough to maybe know something about Blighttown."

Flynn nodded, turning about. "Sounds like a plan. Plus, I'd like to make sure the firekeeper is still safe. If something happened to her now I don't think I could forgive myself."

We descended the ladders, making it back down to where we'd fought the gargoyles, back through the church, and down the tower to the side, the bodies of our opposition littering the ground.

As we descended to the second level of the tower, where the bonfire sat, however, we met a most unwelcome sight. Leaning against the walls of the tower sat a knight in gleaming gold armor, staring emptily towards the fire. I reached for my talisman at the same time Flynn drew his claymore, rushing down the stairs.

"Lautrec...what are you doing here?" I held my distance behind Flynn, the two of us imposing ourselves between the knight and the firekeeper, still curled up in the corner where Flynn'd set her down.

The knight looked up, scoffing. "What, you mean breaking myself free from that cell so that I don't rot away there? Yes, truly I must be quite the wretch for acting out of self-preservation. No, what I'd like to know is why that lovely firekeeper is here. She's quite the welcome addition to this sorry little tower." He paused for a moment, finally breaking his gaze from the fire before continuing. "However, since I can tell by the fear in your eyes, I broke myself out. I could tell when that wretch Oscar locked me - "

"Do not talk about Oscar that way!" Flynn thrust his claymore out, the tip mere inches from the knight's head. "I don't care who you are or what you think you are, but Oscar is a better man than a scum like you can ever hope to be. Now, don't you dare harm anyone here, or I'll have your head. Are we understood?"

Lautrec simply leaned back, breaking into a fit of laughter. He stood up, reaching behind his back and pulling out two bizarre weapons. Each looked like a crescent moon attached to a handle, roughly a foot or so long. "I don't think I ever caught your name, not that it's a concern to me. I will do as I damn well please, whether or not that goes for or against what you think you have planned. If that doesn't suit you, then why don't you chop me down right here and show that pretty firekeeper who the real monster is?" He held out both of his arms, standing stock still. I could tell Flynn was considering his offer, gripping his claymore tightly.

I walked forward, putting myself between the two knights, holding my arm out to stop Oscar. "Flynn, that won't be necessary. I agree that he shouldn't be trusted, but killing him here and now will prove exactly the point he wants to make." I turned back to look at Lautrec, the knight's emotion hid behind his strange mask. "Where do you plan on going from here? Certainly a foreigner such as you has a reason for being in Lordran?"

He shook his head. "Carim is no friend to undead. No sooner had I been touched by the curse did I find myself being sent away. With nowhere to go and only my goddess beside me I ended up in this accursed land."

I held back my curiosity...how could a man as wretched as him be religious? Perhaps Carim worshipped evil gods...whatever the case was, I wasn't about to ask. I could tell Lautrec was careful and cunning, trying to lure both of us in as subtly as he could. He needed to go...if anything happened to the firekeeper Flynn would go on a rampage, not stopping until Lautrec was dead. I couldn't let that happen, even if it did give my brother some twisted sense of purpose.

Lautrec simply sat back down, sheathing his twin weapons. "I'll tell both of you this one last time, even though neither of you are going to believe me nor care. That man, Oscar...he's the one you should be afraid of. I helped him take on those Gargoyles, and what do I get? Locked in a cell."

"And why do I have any reason to believe you?" Flynn stood indignant, bearing down on the golden knight.

"What reason do I have to lie? Oscar never mentioned either of you, so whatever the past you have with him is, I don't know it. All I know is that you certainly have a respect for him that I can't even begin to fathom."

Lautrec's words resonated with me, as much as it hurt me to believe. Perhaps...perhaps what he was saying about Oscar was true? I didn't want to believe it, but the knight was right, he had no reason not to tell us the truth. I turned back around to Flynn. "Brother...we should go. We came here for Andre, right? I know you don't trust him, but we can't sit here and watch him forever." I held onto his arm as I began walking for the stairs.

Flynn simply uttered a low growl, glaring at Lautrec. "If you cause even the slightest bit of trouble, I'll end you." I gave him one last tug and he stumbled after me, finally descending the steps.

We made it down to Andre, the old smith having stopped hammering long before we made our appearance. "Well, ye two were making quite a bit of a ruckus up there, weren't ye? What seems to be the problem, firekeeper causing ye problems?"

Flynn shook his head. "No, she is fine. Some man, though, Lautrec of Carim. We found him locked up inside the church, but now he's upstairs. I don't trust him, but I'm not about to murder him right now. Still, I worry for her safety."

"Well, I wouldn't fret too much. Firekeepers are a rarity, and killing one would be incredibly foolish. It would make the bonfire unusable, not even able to be rekindled. Even if Lautrec was a madman, a bonfire is too precious of a resource to snuff out."

At that, we both breathed a sigh of relief. I responded next, leading back to our original intent. "Andre, have you heard of a place called Blighttown? We know that we need to go there, but nobody seems to know where it is."

The blacksmith shrugged, scratching his beard. "To be honest with ye, neither have I. All I know of besides here is Darkroot Garden, and an old, old friend of mine asked me to guard the key to some of its secrets until I knew the time was right. Whether Blighttown is past that door or not, I can't be certain."

Flynn responded. "But you said 'some' of it. What about what's left?"

"Adventuring isn't much of my thing, Flynn. I can't tell ye what's out there because I've never seen it with my own eyes. I will say this. The entrance to the Garden is right past there." He pointed past us, to the empty doorway behind us. "Some beastly demon has gotten itself trapped in the next room. Because I've grown a bit fond of both of ye, I'll tell ye that I can't count the number of undead that have gone hollow trying to take it down. You'd be best to just run past it."

Both of us nodded, and Flynn turned to me. "Well, it's our only lead. Are you willing to give it a go?"

I nodded. "Like you said, it's not like we know where else to go. However, and let me make myself perfectly clear, we are not fighting whatever demon Andre just mentioned. My mind is still reeling from fighting the gargoyles, and I am not ready for another near-death experience quite yet."

Flynn laughed, nodding. "As you wish, Resa." He turned back to Andre, giving him a thumbs up. "Thank you for the tip, blacksmith. I'll make sure to tell you what we find."

With that, the two of us descended down the short flight of stairs behind us, down to the next room. What appeared was a massive room, nearly the size of the entire church...with quite the strange demon inside it. For the life of me, I couldn't even figure out how it managed to get itself trapped in the room, as it was much too large for either door. It seemed to be made of a stone of some sort, the rocky flesh moving just as easily as skin and muscle would. However, what struck me as most odd was its lack of a head. In place of a head, a strange rune was etched at the top of its neck, something I couldn't even begin to decipher from as far away as we were.

My perception of the creature was broken as it raised up its weapon, a twenty foot long pole, as lightning began crackling at the tip. The demon thrust the weapon forward as the lightning shot forth and both of us dodged to either side as the bolt went hurtling right past us. I looked across the room and saw a door behind the creature, and so I began rushing towards it, the terrible beast sending my blood cold. Flynn, too, began rushing for the far door, both of us hoping to avoid the creature.

Unfortunately, the beast turned to me as I ran, jumping towards me with incredible speed. I threw my body forward to avoid being struck by the demon's weapon and landed on the ground, feeling the presence of the demon above me. I scrambled back to my feet, practically running on all fours as I tried to regain my balance, every bone in my body telling me to run for the door. I looked behind me to see the demon raise up its weapon once more, the reach of the weapon vastly longer than where I could be before it struck me.

I spun about, trying to mimic a move I'd seen Flynn do several times. I gripped my shield, thrusting it out above me as I fell to the ground, watching the demon's weapon come barreling down on top of me. I braced myself as the impact came, feeling as if my arms had been shattered from the mere impact. The monstrous weight of the weapon immediately sent my shield crashing onto my torso, knocking the breath out of me and sending my elbows through the floor. Still, my shield somehow managed to block the blow, the rod mere inches from my face.

I felt Flynn come up behind me and grab the hem of my garb, dragging me backwards. I was panting, struggling to regain my breath, as he pulled me towards the door, out of reach of the strange, rocky demon. The beast lunged forward one more time just as my feet crossed the threshold of the door, the weapon clanging against the wall.

As soon as we were safe Flynn let go, giving me time to recover. "Quick thinking...I'm impressed. And before you go on your 'I'm a Warrior of Sunlight, I need to' rant, that doesn't - "

"Thank you. After fighting the Gargoyles, I'm quite willing to rely on you as much as you'll let me. Thanks for saving me back there...I don't think I would have made it through a second attack. What was that?"

"From my guess, it looked like it was made of some sort of strange titanite. I've seen enough of the stuff to know what it looks like, but I haven't run across any with a polish to it like that. Whatever it was, it's probably best we wait until we can stand toe to toe against it...whenever that may be."

I leaned forward, inspecting my surroundings. We definitely appeared to be in the Darkroot Garden now, based on the lush foliage that surrounded us. It was quite dark, the sun that shone so brightly over the church now oddly hidden. I got back to my feet, looking about. There appeared to be a lone pathway leading off into the distance, a steep hill covered by trees blocking everywhere else. "Alright brother, after you. I'm still a bit sore from that demon."

"Understandably." The two of us set off down the path, wary of whatever might come our way. I clutched my talisman tightly, ready to attack whatever might spring up around us. The Garden seemed oddly quiet, an uneasy stillness hanging in the air as we tread forward.

Suddenly, out of the ground, sprang...some sort of tree? Four vines seemed to function as spindly arms and legs that sprang forth from a bush, the plant holding a moderately humanoid shape. Without even hesitating Flynn rushed towards it, raising his shield up to block the vines that came crashing down. He swiped sideways with his claymore, rending both of its legs and sending it toppling to the ground. Another swift strike downwards seemed to send the plant off, the bush lying limp on the ground.

He turned back to me, wiping off his blade. "If that's what we're supposed to be on the lookout for, what's to say this entire forest isn't alive? Stay close...I have no idea what we're supposed to expect anymore."

I caught up to him, the two of us walking side by side. "I'm not sure how effective I'm going to be against these, Flynn. Lightning spears don't exactly do well at cutting vines."

"So aim for the head, that seemed to be the vulnerable spot anyways. I believe in you." He said it so nonchalantly, the takedown of everything we'd seen having become an art he seemed keen to master. For me, though, even the slightest threat sent shivers down my spine, whether I liked it or not.

We encountered more of the strange foliage, none of them posing any more of a threat than the first one. Eventually, we found our way to a massive, stone door...and a bonfire! To the left of the door, hidden in some ruins, sat the unkindled flame, waiting for us. I swiftly approached it and thrust my hand forward, breathing life to the fire once again. I turned towards Oscar, motioning him towards it.

"This must be the part of the Garden Andre is guarding…" He reached his hand outward, circling a depression in the door. "It looks like this might be some sort of key, by the looks of things. I won't press him on the matter, since he seemed pretty certain to keep it hidden." He pushed on the door, digging his feet into the ground as he tried to force the stone doors apart. "Definitely locked or barricaded from the other side." With that, he walked towards the bonfire, the two of us taking a seat next to the embers.

I sat there, watching Flynn, making sure he was okay. I wasn't sure what to expect anymore...he'd seemed to have his wits about him, but I wasn't sure what to think anymore. To me, he had always been my shining knight and protector...but I knew he didn't see eye to eye on that.

"Flynn...how are you holding up?"

My brother leaned back, letting out a slight groan. "I'm fine, sister. I'm glad you're worried about me, but this is something I've got to deal with."

"Flynn, you've saved my life countless times since we've been here. I'm trying to understand you, so that we can work through this together. Please, talk to me."

He sighed, setting his armaments down. "The problem is that, at some point in the future, I know you'll be stronger than I am. Deep down in my gut I can feel it to be true. It took a bit of time to own up to that, but I'm there now. It's just a matter of me focusing on something else, so that when that time comes it doesn't ruin me."

I scooted around the fire, taking his hand tenderly in mine. "This might seem forward...but what about the firekeeper? I know you care about her, Flynn, you can't hide that. Do everything you can for her. Like Andre said, she's a special force in this world, and it seems like she's been mostly neglected given where we found her. A bit of kindness would go quite a long way."

He nodded. "It's something I've considered, though admittedly not solely for self-preservation…" He let that trail off, looking to the distance. "Though the bonfire at the tower is nice, I'd like to take her somewhere even more special, where she can be truly revolutionary. I don't know where that will be quite yet, but I'm sure we'll find it." He reached for his claymore, gripping it. "Alright, let's see what else lies in this Garden. Are you ready?"

I nodded, the two of us standing up. To the right of the door was an obscured path, hidden by the thick trees that blanketed the area. With a knowing nod I followed Flynn down it, winding around until it eventually opened up into a large, expansive area. To the far right I could see a tower in the distance, heavily obscured by the overgrowth.

Cautiously, the two of us continued forward, fully aware of the possibility that this entire forest was alive. Up on the hill seemed to be an ancient stone statue, having crumbled to the ground over the ages. Flynn advanced toward it, keeping his shield up and ready.

As we approached it, the stones began to move, the torso of the statue, if it was actually that, leaning forward, planting two hands on the ground. It stood up, towering over us at easily ten feet tall, glaring down at Flynn. In one hand it held a greatsword, dwarfing Flynn's claymore, and in its other it held a massive, circular shield.

The statue charged towards Flynn, swinging its sword down at the ground. Thankfully, it was incredibly slow and he easily sidestepped the attack, the sword plunging into the soft earth. My brother followed the vulnerability up with a swipe of his own, only to find his sword bounce harmlessly from the stone hide.

He turned back to look at me, shaking his head. "It's no use. I don't even know if this thing can be destroyed, let alone how to go about it." Flynn held his shield up as the sword came swinging sideways, still managing to throw him back several feet out of sheer weight.

The statue then turned to me, the imposing figure moving slowly towards me. I quickly began backing up, holding up my talisman as I summoned a bolt of lightning. I threw it towards the statue only for it to appear to fizzle out, the lightning dissipating against its stony hide. I continued backstepping as the statue continued charging towards me, until I found myself pinned against the wall.

I halfheartedly held up my shield as the massive stone greatsword came crashing down on me, knowing full well that nothing I could do could spare me. I felt the searing pain race through me from my shoulder down to my opposite hip, a thick gash slicing through my cleric's garb and my flesh. I immediately fell to the ground, the dizzying pain welling up inside me.

I held up my talisman, hoping for an end to the pain. I could barely even focus on my prayer, my thoughts flitting towards my wounds constantly. Thankfully, a pulse of light from my talisman was my response, as my vision immediately surged back to life. I could feel the wounds knitting themselves back together as I sat there, though the damage to my garb was irreversible until we got back to the repair box.

Able to stand on my feet again, I reached down, taking a swig of my Estus Flask. I tried not to heal myself, preferring to save it for Flynn, but I didn't have the strength just then to reach for it.

I surveyed my surroundings, finding Flynn striking out against the statue once more. No...it didn't appear to be a statue, not anymore. As Flynn struck it in the cracks the armor, a thick, black ooze spilled out. It seemed that there was a man in there, wearing what had to be the heaviest suit of armor ever constructed.

Spotting the weakness, I conjured up another lightning spear, sending it hurtling towards the gash. This time, the spear seemed to strike true, the man's arm falling limp from the damage. Flynn followed up the attack with another circling strike, sending the claymore around his body, building up speed and momentum until he released all of it on the weak joint. More black ichor poured from the wound now, coating the lower half of his arm, the man barely able to hold onto the shield he carried.

Flynn continued, striking at the gap between the breastplate and the leggings now, the man's blood now flowing from his stomach. The greatsword came crashing down yet again, though he was now weak enough that Flynn simply deflected the swing with his shield, the man's sword slamming into the ground. With one final strike Flynn pulled his claymore back, the man falling to the ground, dissolving into souls.

Flynn looked towards me, wiping the ichor from his blade. "I retract my earlier statement. It can be destroyed, and I know how to go about it."

"Well, that's good. Now that I know what to look for, I see several more. What are they?"

"Well, they appear to be humanoid of some type, given by the blood." He wiped his blade again, only a slight amount of the ichor still clinging to the blade. "Perhaps they're undead, but I can't tell for certain. Anyways, how are you holding up?"

I looked down at my tattered clothes, grimacing. "Well, I don't think I'm fit for a banquet in this state, but don't count me out quite yet." I took one last drink from my Estus, allowing the remainder of the wound to miraculously dissolve away completely. "See? Good as new."

"Well, that's good. I see two of them in close proximity over there and I don't know if I'll be able to handle two of them at once." He advanced forward, a bush popping up long before we got there. Without a moment's hesitation he brought it down, the flimsy creature barely able to move. He pressed onwards, until he was standing practically on top of the two stone men.

However...they didn't move. I looked over to him, shrugging. "Perhaps some of them are, indeed, statues. What's that over there?" I pointed forward, seeing gleaming metal hidden by the thick foliage. The two of us advanced forward, kneeling down.

"It appears to be armor...of some sort." He knelt down, brushing away the leaves covering the armor. As soon as he did so the vines on the armor came alive, writhing backwards as two of the bushes spring up on either side of us. Behind them, two more leaped up, the entire Garden practically waking up from our invasion. Worst of all, I saw the two stone men leaning forward, apparently also put off by our innocent investigation.

"Run." The two of us dashed between the two stone giants, circling away from the armor set and back out into the open. Flynn, weighed down by his armor, just narrowly avoided a swing from a stone greatsword from behind him as he slipped past, holding up his shield. "Resa, I need you to deal with some of these plants. There's a lot going on here."

And indeed there was. All four of the plants rushed him, there tendril-like appendages slapping against his shield. Though individually they were weak, the four of them together were having an effect on Flynn, the repeated strikes causing his stance to falter. I threw a lightning spear forward, catching one of them directly in its midsection. Unfortunately, it stood up, though appearing weakened. After another shot it fell down, dissolving away.

At that very moment, I saw one of the stone men holding up his sword and shield, his hands seeming to glow with divine power. As the two weapons touched a rush of divine energy billowed outwards, blowing past both of us in an instant. I immediately felt sluggish, my legs feeling like they had bricks tied to them. Flynn appeared no better, his shield dropping down from whatever had just happened.

I tried to rush towards him to assist, but it felt as if time had slowed down. I was running with all of my might, and yet it looked as if I was barely crawling towards him, my legs barely making any movement whatsoever. It was confusing, and frustrating, watching as my brother was now being assaulted by the bushes. I reared my arm back, still finding the motion as easy as before, and lobbed a spear at a bush, the shot landing true. Flynn followed it up with a horizontal sweep, striking all three of the bushes one after the other. The injured one dissolved away as the other two were knocked downward, both managing to get up. I threw yet another lightning spear at one as Flynn took down the other, clearing away all four of them.

Eventually, we reconvened, both of our movements still massively impaired. "What just happened? What's happening to us?"

I shook my head. "It's coming from the stone giant, but I've never seen a miracle quite like that. Whatever it is, I feel awful."

"That makes two of us. I'll try to draw one of them away so we can deal with it, but they can run circles around me now. We might have to fight them both at once."

"Well, be careful. I'd hate to have to do all of this over again because you got reckless."

He laughed, simply nodding. "I make no promises." He advanced towards one of the giants, doing everything he could to circle around them, but it was simply hopeless. The stone men easily made it towards him, both of them on top of him in an instant.

Without thinking, I threw a lightning spear at one of them, drawing its attention. There was no way Flynn could survive fighting both of them at once. I'd have to stall just long enough to let him deal with the other one.

As the giant came towards me I tried circling around it, realizing the one flaw in my plan. Any amount of nimbleness I had before was now completely forgotten, my lethargic legs barely able to move at all. I put away my talisman and reached for my spear, quickly realizing that I was never going to get out of melee range of the ensuing fight.

The giant swung his sword down, managing to catch the outer edge of my shoulder as it plummeted to the ground. Blood and pain both welled up at the area, my shield arm falling limp even from such a minor blow. I analyzed the body in front of me, looking for an opening. Flynn had attacked the weak points between the armor plates. A spear should be able to do that well...except I didn't know where to look. I thrust the weapon blindly forward, the tip of the weapon bouncing harmlessly off of the thick armor.

As the giant recovered I held up my shield, barely able to support even its meager weight. The giant swung again, this time horizontally, but I was ready. I braced myself for the blow, watching the sword fly into my shield.

I flew through the air, the enormous strength of the man catching me off guard. My whole body went limp as I careened into a nearby tree, my spear shoulder getting wrenched horribly out of place by the impact. I tried to move it but cried out in pain...it had mostly likely been ripped out of its socket, all feeling leaving my arm.

The giant charged towards me yet again as I lay there on the ground, unable to support myself enough to get up. I just barely rolled out of the way as the massive sword came crashing down right next to my head. I reached for my Estus flask and practically drenched myself with it, unable to control my actions. Pain coursed through me as I felt the musculature in my shoulder shifting, the bone sliding forward as the mystical fluid worked its wonders. I cried out in pain as it popped back into place, the muscles restoring themselves to how they once were.

I looked over, seeing my spear out of reach from where I'd been launched from. Given the strange miracle that had been cast, there was no way I'd ever get back to it in any reasonable amount of time. I reached for my talisman, gripping the familiar fabric tightly. The giant lunged towards me and I threw my body to the side, watching the sword just slip past me. I was practically surrounded by the giant, its arm and torso right next to me. As I conjured a spear, I saw the perfect target. There was a gap between the chestpiece and the helmet, perfectly accessible from my vantage point. The crackling yellow energy formed in my hands as I sent it hurtling upward, spiking straight through the crack and into the giant's skull.

It roared out in pain from strike and staggered backward, swiping its greatshield sideways. The attack caught me by surprise and I took the full force of the blow, my entire body going numb from the pain. I began to backpedal as the giant moved towards me, finding my movement returning to normal. After so long of being sluggish I felt light as a feather, normal movement now a blessing I had taken for granted. As the sword came swinging down I leaped into action, forming a spear as I rushed forward. I threw my body to the ground as I continued sliding, throwing my spear at the same mark as before, the black ichor now starting to drip from the wound. I slipped through the giant's legs, scrambling to my feet once I was on the other side.

Taking a moment of reprieve I looked around, searching for Flynn. He was holding himself quite well, locked in battle with the other stone man. I held up my talisman and healed whatever wounds he may have had; my attention having been drawn elsewhere from the fight. At the same moment he brought his claymore forward, catching the man in a crack between his upper arm and torso. The giant exploded into souls that very instant, Flynn having conquered his foe.

Mine, however, was far from finished. It spun around, bearing down on me as it swung its sword horizontally. This time I tilted my shield upward, hoping to deflect the blow rather than absorb it. However, the result was the same, this time my body being thrown across the ground rather than through the air.

My head was spinning from rolling across the ground, eventually stopping as I ran into a tree. I quickly recovered as I saw the giant rushing towards me, still unable to get back to my feet. I had to roll out of the way to avoid the downward strike, the sword getting stuck in the ground. From my prone position I lobbed one more lightning spear, the energy required to conjure it becoming an ever-pressing concern on my mind. As the spear struck the same spot as before I was rewarded by a shower of the black ichor, now gushing down through its chestplate.

The giant brought its sword up, holding it with two hands right above me. I was pinned between the tree and the giant, nowhere to go. I brought up my shield, the only thing that could stop the attack.

A loud clang rang out as the sword buried itself in the ground, just barely missing me. Above stood Flynn, his claymore being the cause of the sound. He'd struck the blade with all of his might, altering its trajectory just enough to spare me. The giant looked up at his new adversary, whatever emotion it felt being hidden behind the mask.

Flynn wasted no time in his assault of his new foe, wrenching his claymore upwards, striking through the gap in the shoulder just as he had before. The front of the giant was now nearly completely coated in its own blood, the dark ooze now trickling forth from two separate locations.

I gathered myself and returned to my feet, forming one more lightning spear. I felt a twinge of pain rush through me, completely different from any sort of physical pain. I was starting to hit my limit, my endless volley of lightning beginning to draw to a close. I sent the spear hurtling forth, careening into the weak spot at the stone man's shoulder. It dropped to its knee as it began dissolving, dropping to no more than souls in an instant.

I returned to Flynn, the two of us gathering ourselves. "How are you feeling? I can heal you, if you need it."

He shook his head no. "You already did that once, and I didn't sustain any further injuries after that point. Thanks for looking out for me even when your own life was in danger."

I smiled, holding up the talisman. "I didn't know if you needed it or not, and I'd always rather be safe than sorry. Now, let's go check out that armor." The two of us returned to where we'd been ambushed, finding the armor just as we'd left it. This time, however, we were free to investigate it, brushing off the remaining vines until it was fully uncovered.

I couldn't hold back my reaction...it was Oscar. Or, at least, his likeness. The armor was exactly the same as his, though there was a curious lack of his sword and shield. I felt yet a different type of pain run through me...the pain of seeing a fallen ally. And yet...something didn't quite seem to add up.

Flynn took one look at the armor, coming to the same conclusion. "Who did this. If it's Lautrec...he won't even have time to escape."

I grabbed my brother's arm, calming him down. "Flynn, I don't think this is Oscar. He left back towards the church when we saw him last, right? And we didn't see Lautrec until after that. Now I can't rule out the possibility, but the likelihood that Lautrec escaped, Oscar was somewhere we'd never seen him go, and the two met...all within the amount of time it took us to go to the firekeeper and back. It seems a little bit of a stretch. Besides, Lautrec wasn't carrying Oscar's weaponry, and we didn't see them on our path so far. I don't think Lautrec did this."

I could tell my rationale wasn't going anywhere, so I went for a wild leap of faith. I lifted up the visor covering the helmet, revealing it to be empty. "See...this is just a suit of armor. Likely some other poor Astoran that got touched by undeath. Will you believe me now?"

Flynn nodded, albeit begrudgingly. "I will, yes." He knelt back down, inspecting the armor. "Well, this is a much higher quality than the armor I'm wearing. I don't know how you feel about it, but I'd hate for this to just go to waste." He looked up at me, awaiting an answer.

It was true...it felt wrong taking from the dead, but our recent fight showed me just how important it was to have as much of an advantage as you could get. "We don't know what else is left. Let's see if we can find a bonfire somewhere so that we aren't hauling it with us through whatever else is out there. There's a tower up ahead that looks promising."

He nodded, setting the helmet back with the rest of the suit of armor. The two of us advanced towards the tower, finding a crumbling set of stairs circling the walls upward. The two of us ascended them, eventually reaching a heavy, iron gate. Flynn reached down, giving it an experimental heft. "It seems like it's loose, but it's not going to stay up. What do you say?"

I leaned forward, looking through the openings in the gate. On the other side was a bridge, completely empty. "It looks safe. Let's go."

Flynn lifted the gate up, giving me ample time to slip underneath it as he followed behind me. The gate came crashing down behind us, making the way back that much more troublesome. At the far end of the gate was a similar gate, leading to another tower. I moved towards it, Flynn following along.

Just as we were about halfway across the bridge, yet another bizarre creature rose into our vision, floating across the sky. It appeared to be some sort of massive butterfly, luminescent green wings flapping gracefully behind it. On its head was a horn, two individual horns spiraling around each other. Overall, the creature looked harmless, simply rising up to fly around the bridge, acting more like a silent observer than anything else.

Flynn paused, however, entranced by the sight. I, too, stopped, observing the mystical butterfly. After some time, it flew down to the bridge, its tiny legs gripping onto the side of the bridge as it rested. The horn separated Flynn and I, dividing the bridge in half. I looked at my brother, perplexed. "Is it...safe?"

"My instinct tells me no, but then, instinct tells me a predator wouldn't just sit here like this."

Tentatively, I reached my hand out towards its head, my hand resting on the intricate horn. It was as smooth as glass and looked like polished ivory, more beautiful than I could even put into words.

Suddenly, the horn began glowing, a green light beginning to move along the twin horns. I took a step back, confused, as it happened. The light grew brighter as it drew closer to the tips of its horns, becoming nearly blinding. From nowhere, a force pushed me back, whatever the butterfly was doing appearing to be an attack of some sort.

When I got back to my feet, the butterfly was flying above the bridge now, the light in its horn still glowing. To my left, Flynn also seemed more confused than injured, the blast having knocked him over as well. "What is happening? Does this thing want to hurt us?"

I shrugged. "I can't tell...if it doesn't do anything else, I'm guessing it thought we were trying to hurt it. Can't blame it, really, given how little here doesn't try to kill everything else. However if it continues - " As I was speaking, the light grew brighter again, and I directed my attention towards it. As the light reached its tip, several spikes of green energy shot outwards, running straight through my flesh. It was some sort of magic, but I'd never seen anything like it.

"And if it continues...?" Flynn spoke.

"If it continues, then I guess we'll have to fight back. I don't know how many more spears I can conjure, but I'm willing to use the rest." I immediately formed a spear, sending it hurtling towards a wing. The shot ripped through the thin wing, putting a hole in it. After several more spears I was really starting to notice the pain, as if my arm had an cramp in it that only happened when I tried to cast a miracle. However, the butterfly's wing had several holes in it, its flight starting to become strained.

I formed one more spear, barely able to fight through the odd pain. I was barely able to throw the spear, my arm falling to the ground. The spear caught the butterfly in its abdomen, green fluid trickling from the wound. I put my talisman away, pulling out my spear. "No more. I can't describe what it feels like, but if I try to conjure another one I don't know what will happen."

Flynn patted my shoulder. "I'm not asking for more, sister. However, if this thing doesn't decide it needs to rest, I think it's going to beat us in a battle of attrition."

The butterfly continued flying about, firing another blast at us. This one moved quite slow, a cloud of the green energy traveling towards me. I held up my shield only to have the cloud hit it and split, rushing through me. It felt as if my insides had been set ablaze, a burning sensation coursing through me. I took another drink from the Estus Flask, feeling as if I'd been dunked into a vat of cold water.

The butterfly circled around until it was now at the far end of the bridge, facing towards us. With surprising speed it started rushing down the bridge, its horn lighting up yet again. Flynn prepared himself, holding his shield out as the butterfly charged towards him. More of the green energy shot outwards, piercing straight through his shield and armor, whatever damage it could do clearly real.

Just as the butterfly got close, Flynn brought his claymore up, angling the blade towards the bridge as he thrust it downwards. The blade caught itself between the many rotations of the twin horns, and even further, embedding itself into the bridge. The butterfly immediately jolted to a stop, Flynn taking the opportunity to take a couple steps forward, standing on a wing. He retrieved his sword, standing atop the strange enemy.

"Be careful Flynn. It's capable of knocking you back and I don't want to know how far of a drop it is from up here."

He nodded, taking a few more steps back until he was on the back of the wing. He began slashing at the wings, filling them with small cuts, rending them until they were likely useless. The butterfly began preparing something else and so we both took a few steps back, hiding behind our shields. Another pulse came forth, knocking both of us a few feet back, but causing no meaningful damage.

The butterfly tried to flap its wings and get airborne once again but simply sat there, Flynn's attacks proving effective. Flynn put away his claymore, stepping over the butterfly to get to me. "I can't do it. I don't know why, but I can't bring myself to kill it. I feel bad even doing what I've already done, but it's just sitting there helpless. Killing it doesn't feel right."

I nodded, looking at the butterfly. It was a shadow of what it was even a minute ago, now lying there with broken wings and barely any life left. "Yeah...let's go."

He nodded, and we turned our attention towards the second tower. Flynn again lifted this gate up as we both slid underneath it, finding another staircase leading up.

At the top we found...Andre? There was a man, remarkably like Andre, yet this man was frozen in stone. He was hunched over, his hands guarding some sort of shimmering white light.

Flynn reached forward, inspecting the light. What he pulled out looked more like a box than anything else, a solemn, flickering flame in the middle of it. "What do you think this is?"

I shook my head. "I've never seen anything like this. However, based on all the equipment up here, this man is clearly a blacksmith. If it was worth protecting so much, perhaps Andre would know."

Flynn nodded, kneeling down to reach for something else. He brought back a key, the dark metal of the item blending in with the stone. "And yet another key with an unknown door. I'm telling you, a keyring is starting to look quite handy."

I laughed. "Well you can talk to Andre about it. Speaking of...I don't see anything else back here. Looks like we're going to have to trek on back if we want to get out of here."

Flynn nodded, stowing away the key, keeping the box clutched tightly in his hands. We descended the stairs back down to the butterfly. As soon as Flynn reopened the gate, however, I noticed a different kind of light in its horn, this one appearing more yellowed than the green that had previously been there. I approached it, reaching out, touching its horn once again. Whatever it was, it seemed tangible, to some extent. I reached through the twin horns and grabbed at it, bringing it back.

I hadn't the slightest clue what it was...but it was beautiful. It was a shimmering yellow light, flickering and dancing in my hand. "I've never seen anything like it. What is it, do you think?"

Flynn shook his head. "Perhaps an embodiment of its magic, given where it was. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure either. I'd keep it safe until we have more information."

I tucked the peculiar item away, the object seeming to take up a negligible amount of space. We descended back down the first tower, where we found the knight's armor. The two of us shared the load, carrying it back all the way to the tower where Andre was.

The titanite demon was still trapped in its room, a problem that was made even worse by our encumbrance. The two of us split up, racing past the demon, having no hesitation as we sprinted past it towards the stairs. It barely even had time to register our presence, let alone do anything about it, by the time we'd made it back to the staircase.

Back in safety, we climbed our way back up to Andre, setting the suit of armor down. The old smith actually seemed a little surprised, stopping his work. "Well, don't ye two look like ye've just had a fun time in the Garden. Tell me, what did ye find out there?"

Flynn reached into his armor, pulling out the strange box. "We found a blacksmith frozen in stone, holding this along with a key. We were wondering if you knew anything about it."

Andre reached for the item, nodding. "What ye have here is an ember, and a divine one at that. With this, and some of that green titanite, I can imbue yer weapons with the power of the gods themselves. Sadly, I don't know how long it's been since I've last seen green titanite, otherwise I'd be willing to lend ye some of mine as a thank ye for finding such a precious find...supposing I can keep it, of course."

We both nodded. "You've been good to us, and we don't know of anyone else that could help us, anyway. You're free to keep it."

I reached into my garb, pulling out the strange item. "Also, long story short, we found this on the body of a dead butterfly. I was wondering if you knew anything about it."

The smith looked at it, nodding. "That must have been no ordinary butterfly. All creatures around here possess souls, I think ye've figured that much out. However, certain creatures can turn their souls into a tangible object, which is what yer seeing there."

I looked at the curious object, watching it flicker about in my hand. "So it's like its life essence, coalesced into this." I tucked it back away, not wanting to tamper with such a precious object. "I'll store it in the bottomless box. It feels too special to just use as a normal soul."

Andre shook his head. "No, that there is not just one soul...it's hard to tell. The only way to know for sure is to crush it, and absorb it into yerself. However, I'm getting the sense that's not yer plan for it. I've never heard of any different use for them, but perhaps there's one out there that I'm not aware of."

I nodded, stowing away the butterfly's soul. I looked to Flynn, pointing to the armor set still haphazardly thrown on the ground. "Well, you said you might be getting some better gear. If that's the case, let's head upstairs and stow away our belongings."

He nodded, lifting the armor set back up, as we walked back to the bonfire. However, before I'd even made it up to the floor, I could tell something was wrong. The lightning seemed off...darker than what I'd remembered it as. I hurried up, dropping the armor as soon as I was upstairs.

Lautrec was gone, any trace of the golden knight wiped away. Secondly, even more disturbing, the bonfire was dormant, barely even an ember still flickering about.

Worst of all, however, was the bloodied pile of rags in the floor. Flynn nearly knocked me over as he rushed past me, throwing the armor he was carrying aside as well. He lifted up the rags, the body inside them as lifeless as it appeared.

Flynn set the body of the firekeeper down, turning to look at me. "I'm going to kill him, Resa. Kill him endlessly until he wishes he could escape his cycle of undeath." He stood up, drawing his claymore. "Don't even try to stop me, either. I'd hate for you to become collateral damage."


	8. Chapter 8

**Flynn**

 **SL27 - 16 VIT - 10 ATT - 13 END - 27 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL27 - 16 VIT - 19 ATT - 12 END - 12 STR - 10 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 20 FTH**

 **Flynn**

I looked down at the firekeeper's limp body once again, my anger nearly boiling over. I wanted to charge away and find Lautrec…but he could be anywhere by now. As much as it hurt me to realize it, blind rage wasn't going to get her justice.

While I was inspecting the body, a strange object rolled out of the folds of her bloodied robes, and onto the ground. I picked it up, looking it over. It appeared to be some sort of…eye, based on the yellowed pupil blinking back at me. The eye was embedded in a fleshy black orb that surrounded it, the entire thing about palm sized. I picked it up, turning to my sister. "Have you seen anything like this before?"

She shook her head. "Flynn…I know how you must feel right now. Please…let me try and help. I'll do whatever I can."

I nodded, tucking the strange orb away. "I...thank you, sister. If I struck down Lautrec out of pure hatred, I'd be no better than that rat. We've got to think about this intelligently, if we're going to get anywhere. As much as I wish that I could just run out and find him standing there, I know that he's probably long gone by now." I pointed towards where I'd put the eye. "However, I think he wanted to leave a clue as to where to find him. He's proud of this…he would have moved the body somewhere else if he didn't want us to find it. I'll hold onto this for the time being."

Resa nodded, looking up. "So, where do you think he went? Where could he have gone?"

I thought about it for a bit, it never really occurring to me to think about his most likely path. "Well, it seemed like he knew where she was before here. It might be worth trying to look there and see if we don't find something that might be of value. If that fails…perhaps take another pass through where we've been? We've collected quite a few keys by now, and there are two doors I can think of that have remained unopened. There's a chance he might have tried to scurry down one or the other."

"But if we have the key, that means…"

I shook my head. "It doesn't seem like that matters here. We've seen phantoms and all sorts of things that, in Thorolund, simply shouldn't exist. We know Oscar slew the gargoyles, but they were still very much alive when we went up there. I don't think that us having a key is going to stop Lautrec from being able to open it." I pointed to the Astoran armor we'd carried with us all the way from the Garden. "However, before we go anywhere, I think it's time I get geared up."

I turned around, slipping off my helmet and gauntlets as I prepared to change. To my surprise, the flesh underneath was every bit as healthy as it was before I was an undead. Lautrec…I'd finally found a purpose that would keep me going for as long as the filthy rat lived.

After I'd slipped into the new armor, I stood back up, turning back to my sister. I could tell the armor was slightly heavier based on the weight pressing down on my shoulders, but it was much, much higher quality than anything we'd been able to produce in Thorolund. I couldn't wait to put some titanite into this and see just how strong I could make it, but I didn't want to waste another second. Every passing moment put that much more ground between Lautrec and us, giving him an ever-growing chance to slip out of my grasp.

"Alright, sister. Let's head back, and see if we can't get a better idea. Perhaps that warrior may have seen him if he ran that way, and could give us some clues." I headed back upstairs, leaving the empty bonfire behind. Back out in the church I took down every hollow between us and the elevator back, holding nothing back. Resa followed behind, until we eventually reached the bonfire. It was slightly diminished from when we'd last seen it, the firekeeper's influence on it long gone.

I advanced towards the warrior, kneeling down. "Did you see a man in golden armor come by here recently?"

He looked up, his sorry expression still plastered across his face. "Perhaps…though I don't know how long ago it was precisely."

"Where did he go?"

The warrior looked off in the distance, pointing towards the undead settlement. "Same place everyone goes their first time arriving here."

I paused for a moment, letting that sink in. "And you haven't seen him since then? He's only been here once?"

The warrior nodded. "Can't recall another time seeing someone like that. Can I ask what exactly it is that you want with him?"

I reached in and pulled out the eye. "He left this lying around…figure he wants it back."

To my surprise, the warrior simply laughed, barely holding himself together. "Oh, he left you that? Oh, this is good. Let me guess, you don't know just how meaningful that item is, do you?"

Reah and I both shook our heads, confused.

"That right there is an invitation to a winner-takes-all fight. Whomever gave it to you chooses where the fight takes place, and that's about the only rule. Take it from me…you'd be doing yourself a favor by not ever accepting it."

"And why's that?"

"Because the odds are always horribly lopsided. There could be a dozen people waiting to hack you into pieces on the other side, and you don't know until you've accepted. Let me put it this way…nobody issues a challenge like that that they don't think they can win."

I held out the curious orb, perplexed that it had such a powerful meaning. "And how will I know when the challenge has been issued?"

"That eye will start glowing. Throw it onto the ground and you'll be taken to wherever it is you'll be fighting. I haven't had any personal experience with these, so I can't exactly tell you what happens after that. I've heard stories, that's all." He paused, looking at the orb in my hands. "You can't possibly be considering this, can you?"

I looked towards Resa, seeing the worry on her face. "If he left this, it means he wants to finish the job. However…I've got to finish mine." I walked away from the warrior, Resa following me.

"Flynn, listen to me. You can't go through with this! You heard the – "

"You're the Warrior of Sunlight, correct? Helping the weak, protecting the innocent, isn't that your deal? Well, sister, a firekeeper just died, and we've been given a ticket to avenge her. I know that isn't exactly your job description, but you can't tell me we shouldn't try."

I could tell she was struggling. "I know. Believe me, I want to help her, I really do. But if we fail, it sounded like Lautrec could demand whatever he wanted. We could be stripped of everything, left in a place that we can't escape. How am I supposed to help everyone if I don't have anything?"

I put my hand on her shoulder. "Sister, we started this with nothing. We can do it again if we have to. I don't want to either, but this means everything to me. If you don't want to risk everything, I won't blame you."

She shook her head. "No, if you're doing this then I am as well. Now come on, you heard the warrior. If he never returned here, then he's probably still around the church. Let's stop worrying about this duel and see if we can find him before it matters."

I nodded, shouldering my claymore. "You're right. None of this will matter if we catch up to him. Let's head out." I walked off towards the direction of the settlement, Resa following along behind me. The journey was surprisingly easy, our stronger weapons and armor easily dealing with the relatively flimsy undead. Before long we were at the bonfire beneath the bridge, taking a short reprieve before continuing on. We progressed all the way to the tower, the battleground where we'd fought that massive demon directly above us. Directly in front of us, however, was our first locked door.

I walked up to the door, pulling out the several keys we'd collected during our journey. I'd lost track of where we'd found each one, a fact that I would have liked to keep with me at a time like this. There was no way Lautrec had gotten past the butterfly and found the key up there…but I couldn't tell which one that was now.

The second key I tried slid into place, and I unlocked the door. On the other side was a spiral staircase, leading downwards. I turned back to Resa. "Shall we?"

The two of us descended the stairs, going two entire floors, seeing nothing. However, there was a third floor beneath us, and so I continued down the stairs, going even further.

On the third floor was what appeared to be a man, though it was nearly impossible to tell. He was encased in impossibly thick armor that appeared to be made from rocks, how he was able to wear it a mystery to me. In one hand he held a greatshield also made from rock, about as tall as he was. In his other hand he held a massive club, likely also hewn from rock. As soon as I took a few steps down the stairs the stone man turned to me, rushing forwards with surprising speed. How he was even able to walk was a mystery to me, given the sheer weight of the armor that he wore.

I backpedaled, moving back up the stairs, drawing my weapon and shield. I turned back to Resa. "Get ready for a fight. Keep your distance and I'll keep him busy." She nodded and moved back up the next staircase to the first floor, while I moved towards the second floor. A few moments later the stone man emerged, charging at me with his club held in two hands. He brought the weapon down hard as I sidestepped, the impact sending cracks through the floor.

The strength, the power…this man seemed more beast than man. I didn't even know if my sword would be able to do anything, given how thick the armor was. I still tried, winding up for a strike only to have my claymore bounce harmlessly off of his armor. From behind me I saw a lightning spear arc past my head, striking the man in the arm. However, much like our fight with the stone giants in the Garden, it simply fizzled out.

I took a step back, gathering myself. We had to fight him the same way we fought them…search for a weak point in the armor, and exploit it. However, this armor was even more bulky than what the giants wore, and the man wasn't large enough that I could get very good strikes from below. It seemed like his waist was slightly less armored than the rest of him, giving him enough space for his legs to move.

The man swung at me again, another brutal overhanded strike that shook the entire floor. This time he struck the staircase, leaving crumbling rocks behind when he picked up his club. I struck out again, this time at the gap at his waist. Thankfully, I could feel the subtle rending of flesh, my weapon getting far enough in to have an effect.

With surprising speed the man spun around, his club held out and ready to strike. I tried to bring up my shield but didn't have enough time, my side catching the full force of the strike. I was knocked sideways, careening into the wall several times from the sheer strength of the blow. My insides felt…broken. I tried to lean forward but couldn't even manage to do that.

A few moments later, I could feel Resa's miracle working its way with me, the shattered fragments of my ribs magnetically being drawn back together, my side filling back out again. I recovered just quickly enough to roll out of the way, dodging another thunderous blow from the man. This one sent a few more cracks through the floor, which were now starting to arc across a frightening amount of space.

I scrambled to my feet and put my shield on my back, gripping the claymore with two hands. The shield wouldn't do any good here, not against the raw strength of this man. He rushed at me once more and I sidestepped out of the way, striking against his waist once more as he struck the floor. This time, however, the floor began crumbling, the blow opening a small hole down to the third floor.

From behind me, Resa threw another lightning spear, this one hitting his waist as well. I followed up with one more swing before backing off, not willing to risk getting hit again. It was hard to tell whether the man was doing fine or one his last legs, his entire body encased in the thick shell of armor. He seemed to still have plenty of fight left in him, however, as he rushed towards me. He had his club held out at his side, ready to deliver a horizontal strike. I dove to the ground, barely managing to avoid the swing as it sailed over my head.

I got back up to my feet before the man had time to recover, the massive weight of his weapon giving plenty of openings for me to work around. Now, however, the man changed pace, retrieving the massive shield that had been on his back since we started fighting. With the shield in place all the openings he had were significantly hampered, his only opening now on his back.

He took a few steps towards me, holding the club up. He was even slower now, not having the leverage two hands provided to move the weapon quickly. I retrieved my shield as well, hoping that now he wouldn't be hitting with enough force to completely knock me around.

He swung the club, his arm flailing wildly out and forward. I hid behind my shield, my entire arm going numb as the weight of the weapon hit my shield, still managing to scoot me a few feet back. I lunged forward, managing to get a glancing strike on him before I returned to my guarding stance. From behind him, I watched as another lightning spear leaped from Resa's hand, directly into the exposed back of the man. This time his leg went limp for just a split second, and I went into action. I raced around the man, getting a deep cut on his back before he could recover.

The man spun around, now holding up his shield to the both of us. He rushed forward, and I sidestepped the obvious attack. The blow struck the ground, leaving another, larger hole in the floor. Footing was starting to get perilous, two holes in the ground, the rest of it laced with cracks. I didn't know how much more it had left in it.

He rushed forward again, sending his club careening into the ground once again. However, this time, the hole that was left continued growing, more and more of the ground starting to give way and crumble. I retreated to the landing on the stairs, seeking cover. Even still, the man rushed towards me, putting his shield away and lunging at me, his club gripped by two hands as it came crashing down. I threw myself to the side, tumbling down the stairs to the third floor.

As I recovered, I moved towards the center of the floor, avoiding the crumbling ceiling above me. Above even that was Resa, the stone man charging after her. She looked down, seeing the crumbing ground beneath her, and threw herself from the staircase.

I dropped both my weapons, moving to where she'd land. I reached my hands out and caught the falling body, feeling a thud as she landed in my arms.

"Don't worry…I'm not going to let you go just yet."

"That's reassuring. However, we're not done here, and you're unarmed."

I nodded, setting her down to the ground and recovering my weapons. Up above, the man was looking down, and then he, too, jumped off the ledge. I rushed towards the wall, narrowly getting out of the way as he impacted the ground. All the rubble that had fallen shook, the massive weight careening onto the floor putting a sizeable dent into the third floor. I rushed forward and got a heavy strike in on his back while he was recovering, a thick gash of blood arcing from where I'd hit him.

The man stood up, still standing even now. However, I could tell he was quite injured, his left leg lagging just barely as he moved. When he swung I dodged to his left, following up with another attack. I thrust the weapon deep into him this time, the deep wound on his left hip. I ripped the claymore out violently, and the man fell to the ground, his leg now unable to support the oppressive weight bearing down on it.

I continued my merciless assault. Unlike the butterfly, this man was going to die by my hands. Why he was trapped in this tower, I didn't know, but I knew full well the terror men locked in cages could spread upon the world. I thrust my claymore into him several more times, until eventually, he fell to the ground. His body began dissolving into souls, until eventually it disappeared.

What was left, however, was a rather curious ring. I almost missed it amidst the rubble, but the curious object glinted amidst the dull remains of the now-destroyed floor. I held it out, inspecting it. There was a polished stone in the middle of it surrounded by smaller pebbles, wrapped in a metal ring. I held it out to Resa. "Odd thing to be left behind. Perhaps it's important?"

"If it is, then it's all yours. You took him down, you deserve the reward."

I nodded, slipping the ring onto my opposite hand. On my main hand I still wore the ring I'd earned back in Thorolund, the strange carvings on it still a mystery.

As soon as I put the ring on, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. My armor felt lighter, my shoulders finally getting a reprieve from the weight they'd been carrying. It was refreshing, the feeling akin to floating in water. "This seems to reduce the burden of armor. It must have been how he was able to wear all of that and still be able to move."

She looked down at her ring, the blue teardrop stone glinting against the torchlight. "So far, I haven't noticed this providing any added benefit. While I'm inclined to say that, for once, it's just jewelry, I doubt that black knight would have been guarding it if it was just a shiny object."

I nodded, looking around at the third floor. There was another door down here, partially blocked from the debris. "Speaking of guarding, time to see what's on the other side." I tossed the few rocks aside that were blocking the way, reaching down to the keys I'd collected. I tried the same one as what unlocked the other door, feeling the metal slide into place. I turned the key, swinging open the door.

On the other side, I was met by a familiar darkness, and slick grass. "The Garden…though I haven't seen this side of it. Perhaps there was more out there that we missed." I looked at the key, inspecting it. "However, that likely means that this key was the one we found in the garden."

Resa nodded, understanding my thought process. "Which means that there's no way Lautrec would have gotten it for himself."

"So let's move on. No sense in wasting our time, but we can explore this later." I turned around, walking back up the stairs. Round and around they went, until eventually I was at the very top floor. The door was still tossed aside, the ceiling collapsed, our encounter with the demon still saved in the destruction that occurred. Once on the other side of the bridge I looked out, finding Solaire now absent.

I turned around, face to face with the second mystery door. "This seems like the only other path he could go to. We know he didn't go past the warrior, there's no way out of the church, and we checked the only other door we could find. If this doesn't open, I'm at a loss." I looked at the two remaining keys, both of which were found inside the church. I tried the first one, the key barely managing to fit into the lock. Thankfully, the second slid perfectly in, and I breathed a sigh of relief as I turned the key, opening the door.

Inside was a passageway, a ladder leading far, far down. I turned back to Resa, seeing my sister standing strong. "Thank you for following me through all of this. I don't know what we'll find down here, but I'm not stopping until we've made it through."

"I expect nothing else from you, Flynn. I'm with you through all of this, just keep everybody off of me, and I'll provide some cover fire."

With that, I descended the ladder, countless rungs passing across my feet as I descended into the depths. Eventually we reached the ground, walking out through a doorway.

We were beneath the settlement…perhaps still in the lower parts of it. To our left was a stairway, likely leading back to the upper section. Directly in front of us appeared to be the remains of a plaza, now tarnished by several fires burning in the streets. Cautiously, I took a few steps forward, towards the plaza.

Before I'd even descended the stairs leading to the plaza I heard a sharp howl pierce the air, followed by the sounds of running. I withdrew my shield, standing steadfast on the stairs, making sure that Resa was kept safely behind me. Only a few moments later a beast, clearly undead, streaked out from the darkness, bolting directly towards me. It leaped forward, bashing into my shield. I pushed the shield forward, knocking the beast back, only for a second one to come running at me. I blocked its charge as well, the two undead beasts now moving to circle in the plaza.

As I carefully moved towards them, I felt a burning in my lungs, an uncontrollable cough wracking my body. I looked at my shield, seeing dark green smears across the black metal. I turned back to Resa. "Don't let them touch you, they seem to be carrying a plague of some sort." She nodded her understanding, and I turned my attention back towards the two dog-like beasts.

One of them rushed at me and I blocked the charge with my shield, immediately moving to the offensive. I thrust my claymore out, catching the beast solidly in the ribcage, ripping the blade free as the beast tumbled to the ground. I heard the familiar crackling of electricity behind me as Resa fired off a spear, the dog dissolving into souls. The second one now rushed at me and dove down, sliding beneath my shield. I felt its claw race across my leg, green ooze trailing behind. My leg immediately felt weak, whatever poison the beast carried clearly quite dangerous.

As the dog slid past me I spun around, swinging my claymore high over my head before bringing it down, the thunderous blow cleaving the beast in two. I drug myself towards Resa, pointing to my leg. "I can't tell what this is…have you seen anything like it?"

She nodded, reaching out. "It's not as bad as it could be…there's not enough buildup here to cause any serious harm." She wiped it away, looking up. "You'll be fine so long as you try and keep them away from you. If you get struck again, though, you might be in trouble. The poison will naturally be rejected by your body, so you won't have to worry about any lasting effects."

"Good to know. Now, let's see what else is out here." I pressed forward, feeling my the poison slowly leaving my system. As we pushed out into the plaza I heard a voice coming from behind us, barely audible. I turned around, trying to locate the voice.

I could tell Resa heard it too, rushing ahead of me and towards the wall of houses that lined the far side of the plaza. Eventually, she stopped at one, turning towards the door. "Don't worry…we'll get you out of there." She turned to me as I approached, motioning to the door. "Someone's trapped in here…do you think that the last key might open it?"

I reached for the keys, trying both of them. Neither of them seemed to turn the lock, both of them clunking emptily in the lock. I shook my head. "Stand back…I'll get this open."

Resa took a few steps back as I withdrew my claymore, pointing it at the door. Had the door been made of metal I wouldn't have bothered trying to force it open, but I had full confidence that a wooden door wouldn't hold me back for long.

I brought the sword down, sending splinters flying through the air. I continued my assault, lashing out again and again, each one taking the door further and further to destruction. With one final blow I broke through the middle of the door, half of it swinging wildly on its hinges while the other half dropped to the floor.

On the other side of the door was a single room, a man hiding in the corner. As soon as I stepped in he retreated further in the corner, pointing a rod at me. "Stay back! What do you want with me this time?"

I turned towards Resa, a curious expression on her face. "I've never seen you before. What do you mean 'this time'?"

The man let out a frightened chuckle, still pointing the staff at me. "You're the one that locked me in here. Have you come to kill me now? I helped you fight that beast and this is how you repay me?"

I turned back to Resa, understanding. I took off the helmet, the one that looked remarkably like Oscar. "I'm…I'm not him. We've heard that he does this to people, but we haven't seen him."

Resa continued. "If we find him, we plan to…discuss this. Anyways, who are you? You appear to be a sorcerer of some sort, yes?"

The man nodded. "I'm Griggs of Vinheim, yes. I'm searching for a legend among our school, a Master Logan. You haven't, by chance, run into him, have you?"

I shook my head. "No, you're the first sorcerer we've met in Lordran. Tell me…have you seen a man in golden armor run by here?"

My heart sunk as he shook his head. "No, but I don't know how long I've been trapped in here. I do think I heard the beasts a little while ago, though. Perhaps he's run by while I was stuck here."

I nodded, the news bringing a little hope to me…hope that we were going the correct direction. "Well, it's not safe for you out here on your own. You can travel with us, if you want, or I can point you towards a safe area not too far from here." As much as I wished that that safe area was with Andre, the bonfire was dark now. The firekeeper's original location still seemed like a safe haven, of sorts.

Griggs shook his head. "No no, I already know how to get back to Firelink Shrine. I'll stay there for a bit, before heading off again. If you run into Master Logan, let me know."

With that, Griggs departed, walking back up towards the ladder. I turned towards Resa, the two of us walking back out towards the plaza. "Firelink Shrine, was it? Good to finally have a name for the place, I suppose."

We continued on, moving towards several more houses that lined both sides of the street. I continued down the path, an eerie silence filling the air. We were far away from the fires now, the light from above filtered due to the upper part of the settlement above.

Suddenly, several doors were flung open, all of them behind us. I spun about, seeing three cloaked figures all charging forward, daggers in their hands. I could see the blades coated in a thick green liquid, one that was still lingering in my system.

I rushed past Resa, positioning myself between her and our adversaries. "Their blades are laced with poison…be careful."

Two of them rushed at me, stopping just before my shield. The third sprinted past me towards Resa, their impressive speed shocking me. These didn't seem to be the mindless undead that we'd been dealing with thus far…these had tactics and intelligence, knowing that they wouldn't break my guard, and going for the more defenseless members.

I spun around bringing my claymore wildly out to the side. I caught the hooded figure with the tip of the blade, stopping its momentum as its leg gave way underneath it. At the same time, I felt a weight on my back, followed shortly by a shadow hanging closely above me. Another one of the figures gripped its dagger tightly as it thrust the blade towards my chest, its awkward positioning atop my shoulders throwing my training off. I threw my body forward, launching the madman off of me, only allowing the very tip of the blade to scratch me. Still, the thick poison took its toll, pushing itself into my system.

In front of me, Resa was backing away from both of them, launching a lightning spear at one during a free moment. The spear caught the enemy squarely in its midsection, knocking it backwards into the houses. Just as it got back on its feet another spear arced through it, a shower of souls following the impact.

I rushed forward towards one of the two remaining figures, its attention too focused on Resa to notice me behind it. I let my claymore dig deeply into its back, bringing it to the ground. Resa followed it up with another spear, eliminating the threat.

Both of us turned our attention to the final figure, skirting back behind a doorway. I advanced towards the door, holding my shield up to prevent any unpredictable movements. The foe lunged out from around the doorway as soon as I got close, finding its dagger deflect harmlessly against the shield. I reacted, thrusting my claymore forward, splitting directly through its midsection. I swung my sword to the side, launching the foe into the wall. As it recovered I continued the assault, one more brutal swing ending the strange figure.

I turned back to Resa, cleaning the blade. "Well…that was a bit much, don't you think?"

"I'm not quite sure what they were after, but they certainly didn't seem like they wanted to kill us for the sport of it. I'd be cautious, Flynn. If they have friends, we could be ambushed again."

I nodded, turning my attention forwards. There was a bend in the street, blocking my view of what was further down the road. I held my shield up as I advanced forward, rounding the corner, only to be faced with another one immediately afterwards. Still, we pressed on, approaching another grouping of houses directly ahead. Further down the path I could see a large metal door at the end of the street, blocking any forward progress.

I turned back to Resa. "Be on your guard. If there are more of them, they're likely up ahead. Let's just handle them like we did last time."

She nodded, clutching her talisman. "I'll keep them off of you if you keep them off of me."

I gave a thumbs up, pressing towards the houses. As soon as I passed the first house three doors sprung open, three more hooded figures emerging from the shadows. Unlike last time, however, two of the undead beasts came charging out of the houses with them.

I immediately took several steps backward, assessing the situation. There were five of them, and two of us…all of which were far more nimble than I was. I held up my shield as the two beasts rushed at me, running ahead of their masters. I felt the weight of their charge against my shield, though I remained steadfast against the assault. With a swing of my claymore I retaliated, leaving one with a deep gash on its side, sending it flying into the other.

Before I had time to react, two of the hooded figures rushed past me towards Resa. My sister launched a lightning spear at one of them, sending it hurtling backwards. However, the other one reached her, bringing a poisoned dagger upwards across her torso.

I cried out, charging at the adversary, watching my sister fall to the ground. As the hooded figure turned around I sent my claymore forward, catching it directly in the side. I continued chasing after it as it flew into a nearby wall. With two more furious blows the figure dissipated away into nothingness.

As much as I wanted to assist Resa, I was still standing, which meant she was still alive. If I took the time to tend to her wounds I doubted I would survive the encounter, which had now turned into a four-versus-one. As I turned around I looked at Resa out of the corner of my eye. She was holding up her talisman, hopefully trying to bring herself back from the brink.

The beasts came rushing at me yet again, their masters not too far behind. I lunged out with my claymore first this time, catching both of them by surprise. The injured one immediately dissolved away while the healthy one was sent hurtling backwards, colliding into one of the hooded figures. Both were sent to the ground, the one standing adversary glaring at me. I charged at it, no reprieve between my assault. It leaped up into the air a surprising distance, my sword passing harmlessly underneath its legs. I felt a familiar weight on my shoulders, the figure nimbly landing on my back. I tried to shake it off of me, though my efforts were in vain, the figure somehow holding steady atop me.

The one toppled figure now stood up, charging at me. Due to the other still perched atop me my guard was wide open, my range of movement constricted by the footing. There was nothing I could do as I felt two daggers slip into me in unison, one plunging through the front of my armor while the other slipped between my shoulder blades. I could feel the poison wracking my system almost immediately, attacking me from two different sides to completely destroy my system.

I tumbled to the ground, all of my strength leaving me. I had no way to know if I had taken too much of the poison in, my body too weak to get up and ask Resa.

From behind me, I heard a lightning spear fly past me, knocking one of the two figures away from me. Shortly thereafter a real spear passed in my field of vision, several quick jabs poking out, lacerating the one figure that was still near me. I couldn't tell what was happening, unable to even lift my head up the slightest bit.

I heard the familiar howl of the undead beasts, followed by the stampede of feet as it came running towards me. However, another familiar lightning spear flashed across my vision, silencing the beast.

"It's okay Flynn. You've taken in a lot of poison, but you should still be safe. Drink this, it helped me." I felt the trickle of an unfamiliar liquid passing down my throat, Resa's head now above me.

"What is this?"

"It's the Estus that Oscar gave us back at the Asylum. I know that you prefer to go without it but it works quite well in a pinch."

As more and more of the liquid was poured down my throat, I felt vigor returning to me, until eventually I was able to lean forward, leaning back on my hands. "Thank you, Resa. I thought I was done for."

She smiled. "To be honest, I did too. It was only until I realized I was still here that I realized that you were still alive. I was about ready to head back to the bonfire to see you. Now tell me, how do you feel?"

"Much better. That's some strange stuff, but it does seem to do the trick."

She nodded. "Now, I know you hear this quite often, but do try to stay out of trouble. I'm not nearly as good at cleaning up your mess as we'd like me to be."

I looked around, seeing the area clear of adversaries. "Well, you dispatched three to my two. Sounds to me like I'm the one that needs to improve."

"You softened them up for me, that's all. The only problem is that they softened you up, too." She held out her hand, which I gladly took to get back to my feet. "So, now what?"

I looked forward, seeing the closed door up ahead. However, now that we were closer, I could see a path leading off to the right, winding away. "Well, we've got two options. One, we see what's behind the door. Two, we don't."

"I vote don't. Those last few spears were starting to hurt, and we have no clue what's back there. Right now we have a clear path back to the bonfire, should we need it."

I nodded and continued forward, rounding the turn. It led to a staircase leading down, rounding around to the other side. We pressed on, arriving at a sort of open area with one door and one open doorway. "I assume you'd prefer the one that's not behind the door?"

"Well that is what I said, isn't it?"

I nodded and continued forward, finding a winding staircase upwards past the doorway. At the very top it opened up into a sort of sewer system, one that looked quite familiar. I turned around, pointing to the far end. "I think, what was it, Firelink Shrine? I think it's done this way. This must be some sort of hidden path."

"Good. I'd like to check on Griggs, make sure he made it back safely. While I'm not particularly interested in sorceries, I still think we should be on the lookout for Master Logan."

I nodded. "I agree with Andre that sorcerers don't seem like the best group to associate with. Still, if he ended up here, then he must be undead. If finding Master Logan is what he's set his mind to, we'd be making him go hollow if we didn't help."

Further down the sewer was a gate, a latch placed across the handle that I easily removed. It seemed as if we wouldn't have been able to get past from the other side anyways. After a short walk and dispatching the mindless hollows guarding the entrance, we finally made it back to the Shrine.

Huddled up next to the bonfire was Griggs, sitting across from the warrior. Before we got close I took off my mask, showing myself to not be Oscar. It bothered me…though I didn't trust Lautrec one bit, he had the exact same story as Griggs. It couldn't be a coincidence. But why, then, would Oscar have saved us, if he used people like dispensable pawns? It didn't make sense to me…something didn't add up.

"I see you have returned safely. Have you slain that demon yet?" Griggs stood up, dusting himself off.

I shook my head, confused. "Do you mean the beasts? There were a few of them, but they weren't much trouble."

Griggs shook his head, holding his hands outwards. "Oh…I suppose you avoided that door. You'd know when you see it. Eight feet tall and wielding two weapons each larger than I am. It's a terrifying sight. Though I'd say its best to avoid it, that Oscar seemed adamant that it needed to be killed. I don't know what it has that he wanted, but he seemed certain he'd get it." Upon saying the name Oscar I could see Griggs shudder, the name still bringing back haunting memories.

I turned back to Resa. "Perhaps that was the doorway at the end of the hallway. If Lautrec went down that way, then it means that he likely defeated it. If he can, there's no reason we can't."

For the first time Resa held up her hand, silencing me. "Flynn…I know you're worried, but we can't just go charging headstrong at everything we see. We both almost died back there. Let's take a rest at the bonfire and regain ourselves, and then depart. We can't support each other if we're running out of stamina."

I nodded, walking towards the bonfire. As much as I'd like to just rush off, I knew that I was hopeless without Resa, the last encounter taught me that. If she needed a break, I would be foolish not to let her have it.

The two of us sat at the bonfire. "Flynn…what are we going to do when we find Oscar? He's not the man we thought he was, that's obvious now. We haven't seen him since Andre, and he's clearly ahead of us. I don't know if we'll ever catch up."

"There has to be some reason he let us out of that cell. I'm starting to wonder if he did it out of kindness, or out of his own best interests. Given how he's acting, we could simply be a means to an end like everyone else. But you're right, we haven't seen him in a while, so I don't know. I don't know if I could bring myself to attack him, even if everything we've seen points towards him needing to be stopped."

"I think violence should be our last action. There has to be some reason…I can't imagine he got us out of the asylum just to use us. It doesn't seem right. There has to be a reason besides that."

We sat there in silence, watching the flickering flames of the bonfire. After a while, Resa spoke again. "I've figured out what my ring does. When I was lying there, on the ground, I felt something…like a shell of resilience. Without it, I don't think I would have been able to lift my talisman up. This is the first time I've been gravely injured since I've worn it, so perhaps it only takes effect when I'm near death.

"Curious. Well, at least now we know. Hopefully we don't have to rely on it often."

"Agreed…I'd rather not be put in that position again."

Again, silence fell between the two of us. After a while I stood up, helping Resa do the same. "Are you all ready? I'd like to see what's behind the two doors we saw up there."

"Then I'd be a fool to stop you. Let's go."

We marched back up, through the sewer, down, until we were back in the lower part of the settlement. On the other side of the wall was the first door, which I walked over to. I first tried the key that opened the way to here, finding it unable to budge the lock. I tried the only other key we hadn't figured out, finding it also not working.

"I was actually thinking about that second key, Flynn. I'm willing to bet it was the key to Lautrec's cell. We found it in the church, tucked away in a corner. Oscar probably didn't want anyone else to find it. I'm not saying we should throw it away, but it likely isn't ever going to be useful to us."

I nodded. "Well, it seems like the only other door left leads to that demon Griggs mentioned. We've dealt with a couple of those now…one more can't be that bad."

I continued up the stairs, turning around until we were face to face with the second door. I withdrew my shield and claymore, motioning to Resa. "Ready?"

"It's a little hard to tell if I don't know what I'm up against, Flynn. Just open the door."

I pushed the door open, allowing the two of us to slide in. Inside were two more of the undead beasts, which came charging at us. "Well, this is quite underwhelming."

One of the dogs ran past us, slamming its body into the door, cutting off our way back. The room that we were in was quite small, a staircase to the left leading upwards towards nothing. The right half of the area was completely open, a couple dead trees on the sides.

I brought down my claymore on the beast ahead of me, ignoring the one behind us. I sent the animal crashing to the ground, my blade leaving a sizeable gash in its side. At the same time I felt a cold shadow above me, centered around the dog I was attacking. Resa noticed it too and moved further inwards, climbing up the steps while I moved along the right side of the area.

After a second a figure crashed down into the grass, spinning around to face me. It was the demon…Griggs' description of it was completely accurate. Its head seemed to be some sort of skull, loosely resembling a goat. In each hand it gripped a weapon, each one a massive, heavy blade, rusted beyond imagination. It looked down at me, no eyes apparent behind the skull.

The demon brought up both of its blades up above its shoulder, rushing towards me. I brought up my shield needlessly, the small metal plate doing almost nothing to dissipate the oncoming strike. I was sent crumpled to the ground, my body falling limp as I crashed into the side of the staircase.

Above me, both of the dogs had not charged at Resa, ambushing her atop the staircase. She fended both of them off, hiding behind her shield as she pointed her spear at the two of them.

Before I even had time to get back to my feet, the demon continued its attack, both blades now crashing across my midsection. The pain was inscrutable, and yet there was nothing that could be done about it. Resa was quite occupied above me, giving her no spare time to heal me. Likewise, I didn't even have enough time to reach for my Estus flask, even if I was going to use it.

After one more brutal swing by the beast, everything went black.

* * *

I opened my eyes, back at Firelink Shrine. Resa was next to me, panicked. "Flynn…what happened?"

"I don't think I've ever seen so much raw strength in my life, even after fighting that man earlier. That thing was brutal, unrelenting…I didn't even have enough time to recover from one blow before the next was one me. I didn't even get one good hit on it."

"I was busy, I'm sorry there was nothing I could do."

"We're going back."

"Flynn, wait." As I stood up she put her hand on my shoulder, trying in vain to force me back to the ground. "Flynn you just said you didn't even scratch it. What good do you think going back there would do? We can't just keep throwing ourselves at this thing, expecting success!"

I pointed to the bonfire. "Actually, we can. Look, if you don't want to come with me I won't blame you, but I'm not stopping until Lautrec has payed for what he's done."

Resa shook her head. "I'm not saying we don't go back. I know you well enough to know that's not going to happen. I'm saying we go back with a plan. Something beyond 'open the door and see what happens'."

"And what do you have in mind, sister?"

She held out one finger, lifting them up in order. "One, I deal with the demon. I'm lighter on my feet than you in all that armor. Whereas your only choice is to block, I can try and dodge some of the attacks. Two, you deal with the beasts. You're good enough to handle them, that I have full confidence in. Three, once that's done, you take on the big guy while I support you. If you say that you don't have time to respond, then stay on the offensive. If you don't give him time to hit you, then he won't. Sounds like a plan?"

"Sure."

* * *

I couldn't count how many times we'd fought the thing. Fifteen, twenty…the attempts ran together. However, we were making progress, slowly but surely. After the third try Resa had learned its movements well enough to give me enough time to dispatch one beast. By the seventh, I could reliably take down both beasts before she was overwhelmed. By the tenth, I had learned the openings in its attacks, getting in some reliable hits. However, as soon as I was hit once it was over, the unrelenting series of blows that followed too much for me to withstand, even with Resa's help.

Somehow, through all of this, Resa remained strong, her body showing that she was far from hollow. The failures didn't matter…so long as we kept trying, we would succeed. Her ring had triggered several times now, and I could notice it. Her entire body seemed to be covered in a translucent blue sheen, which seemed to absorb some of the impact of whatever she was hit by. Still, it was no match for the demon's twin blades.

We approached the doorway yet again, the two of us standing side by side. "Ready?"

This time, she turned to me, nodding. "I think I've got a good feel of what's on the other side now. Stick to the plan?"

"Doing anything else would be foolish."

"Then after you."

I opened the door, the movements now muscle memory more than anything else. As soon as I was inside I rushed up the stairs, spinning around as soon as I reached the top. Resa followed in shortly after, the brief moment before the demon landed giving her enough time to throw one lightning spear at the head beast, something she'd started doing only a few attempts ago. I followed the attack up with a swipe from my claymore, the beast exploding into souls around the blade.

As soon as the demon landed, Resa immediately ducked, dodging the blades that came crashing down just behind her. At the same time, I blocked a blow from the second beast, following up with a swing from my sword. The thunderous blade took a large gash off the beast, and I rushed forwards. Resa dodged another couple swings from the demon as I fended off the last beast, eventually managing to dispatch it.

I turned my attention towards the demon now, Ready to swap places. Resa nimbly rolled under a swing, giving her the opening she needed to run past me, and up the stairs. I now stood in front of the demon, my singular claymore against the massive twin blades.

It brought one blade down, which I sidestepped, following with a swing of my own. I took a gash out of its midsection, taking a step back and resetting. Behind me, Resa began firing lightning spear after lightning spear, each one pelting the back of the demon. For some reason, it ignored her, focusing on the prey within its reach. I continued my methodical and systematic approach, hitting the demon again and again. It was hard to tell if it was close to death or barely injured, the ferocity it fought with never dying down.

After one more attack I followed up, letting out one quick strike, and then another, and then a third. However, before I could react, I was struck on the side by the blades, my third attack not giving me enough time to raise my shield up. I was sent hurtling into the far corner, the breath getting knocked out of me.

For the eighth time in a row, it would be my fault…my fault we'd end up back at the Shrine, forced to do this again. I was furious with myself…my recklessness was the end of us yet again.

No…I wouldn't let that happen.

I felt the familiar surge of vigor hit me as Resa used her miracle, restoring most of the damage that the demon had just inflicted. As it jumped into the air it held both blades up in the air, ready to slam them on me. It always did this…always leaped into the air, ready to end a life. I wouldn't let that happen again.

I threw my claymore at its left arm, launching the sword into the air. With my right hand I brought both hands to my shield, bracing myself. As the blade struck the demon, its grip on the weapon faltered, my unexpected tactic catching it off guard. The blade in its left hand hurtled off course, landing a few feet from my head.

Now with only one blade to block, I easily held safe against the blade, my shield absorbing as much of the strike as I could. A second later I heard my claymore clatter onto the ground, likely on the far side of the small space.

I was without a weapon, with the demon on top of me…but not for long. I kicked my feet forward, knocking the demon back just long enough to let me get back to my feet. I spun around, finding the demon blade still sitting there, a perfectly viable weapon not even a foot away from me. I reached for it, my hand gripping the blade.

It was heavy…impossibly so. However, I was determined, and that was all that mattered. I dropped my shield, gripping the blade with two hands, the added leverage allowing me to lift the blade up. I had just enough time to bring it up in front of me, blocking an overhead strike from the twin blade, still held by the demon. Metal rang out against metal, my body remaining in place this time. I spun around, gripping the blade tightly, building up momentum in my rotation until it was all unleashed, sent hurtling through the demon's side.

This time, the demon was the one to be sent flying. The sheer weight of the blade crashed into it, launching the demon into the wall. For the first time since we'd started, I was now the one in power, and I wasn't about to let that power be wrenched away from me. I sent the entire weight of the blade crashing down again, attacking its master, digging a thick gash into its shoulder.

However, the demon still stood, which meant I wasn't finished. I continued, swing after swing, pinning the demon down to the floor as it had done to me so many times before. Blood began to pour from its wounds, a welcome sight that I cherished with every swing. More and more blood spilled out, the heavy strikes that were now all across its body each coated with a thick layer of blood.

With one last swing, I brought the weapon up overhead, before sending it down, right through the demon's skull head. The blade cleanly split the head in two, the sound of its skull cracking like music to my ears.

At the same time, its body began dissipating, turning into souls. I wasn't ready for it to end…it deserved to feel all the pain it had done to us. I continued swinging, only stopping when the body had completely disappeared.

All that was left from the demon was a small key, fashioned out of the bone of its skull. The white object easily noticed amidst the bloodied grass. I picked it up, turning around to Resa. "We've done it."

To my surprise, I turned around to see a face of horror looking back at me. "Flynn…are you okay? You…you weren't too different from the demon."

I looked down at the blade, still in my hand, though now resting against the ground. "No…I suppose I wasn't. What matters is that it's gone, and we can continue. We've got the key we need, this will open the door. I know it."

She walked down, holding my sword arm. "Yes, we can continue, and I'm as glad as you are that we finally defeated this thing. However, the way you fought just now…it was terrifying. What good is finding Lautrec if you've turned into a monster."

"Resa, I – "

"I'm serious Flynn, don't scare me like that again."

"I'm keeping the blade."

Resa looked at me, furious. "No. If it makes you fight like that, I can't let you. We've been fighting the demons, and I can't let you become one."

"Resa, I did what I did because I wanted it dead. I'm still me, I still want to find Oscar and deal with Lautrec. This blade…it's got a good weight to it. A lot of weight to it, really. It's not going to become my primary weapon by any means." I walked around the room, retrieving my claymore and shield. "There are some enemies in which a shield does quite a bit of good. However, there are some, like that demon, that didn't care if you used a shield or not. For those, why not have a weapon that can rival theirs?"

"Because…because you aren't them, you're you! And watching you fight just then, I wasn't sure if you were you, or if you were one of them."

"Sister, you're not making much sense. Like I said, I'm me. I did what I did because I was not going to die to that thing. I finally had the chance to be on the offensive and I took it. That was part of the plan, wasn't it?"

She was frustrated…and I didn't even know why. "But please use it as a last resort. It's not that I don't trust you, it's that I don't trust it. Everything strange here in Lordan seems to have some side effect, like the rings we have. That blade could have untold magic on it."

I backed down, realizing arguing wouldn't get anywhere. "Fine...fine. Last resort. Large creatures tend to be the problematic ones, and we haven't seen too many of those. Using this on a hollow would be reckless and foolish, and that's coming from me."

"Okay. Now, let's head to the door. See if this key actually does what we hope it does."

I nodded, approaching the doorway. Thankfully it slid into place, unlocking the door. Inside was a staircase, leading down to whatever is next.

"Ready?"

Resa nodded. "We dealt with that demon. Whatever's done here can't be worse."


	9. Chapter 9

**Flynn**

 **SL29 - 16 VIT - 10 ATT - 15 END - 27 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL29 - 16 VIT - 19 ATT - 12 END - 12 STR - 10 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 22 FTH**

 **Resa**

As soon as we started walking down the staircase, I paused, putting a hand on Flynn's shoulder. "Before we go too far down here, let's head back to the Shrine and restore ourselves, if that's acceptable to you."

Flynn nodded, turning back towards the other doorway. "If that's what you need, let's go."

We walked back to Firelink Shrine, through the sewer system we'd traversed several times now. Flynn...I worried about him. That blade on his back...I'd seen the way he fought with it. Blow after relentless blow into the demon, continuing even after he'd already killed it. It was a terrifying sight to watch, seeing my own brother resort to base violence. I couldn't argue that it was necessary, which was what troubled me most. If he hadn't, the demon would have, and we would have still been fighting it right now. So long as he was willing to use the demon's blade sparingly, and give me time to see just what effect it had on him...I could manage that.

After our short walk, we finally made it back to the bonfire, seeing Griggs still where we left him. The sorcerer looked empty...hollowing. I hadn't asked how long he'd been searching for his Master Logan, but by the looks of things, he was about ready to give up all hope. I scooted over to him, lifting up his chin. "Don't worry, Griggs. We'll find him."

The sorcerer nodded, albeit unconvincingly. "I'm sure you two will. You found me, after all. Also, since I think it might interest you, I saw some more holy-types walk in while you were gone. They seem to be friends of Petrus, by the sound of things."

I looked up, towards where Petrus had been standing all this time. Last we'd spoken, he seemed quite adamant that only members of the 'Way of White' could learn from what he offered. While I doubted any friends of his would be much more accepting, it was still worth a shot. I turned to Flynn, letting him know I'd be back shortly.

When I got to Flynn, I saw that, indeed, three new members now stood in the vacant space. Two of them, from what I could tell, appeared to be quite similar to Petrus, with heavy plate armor making their bodies look much larger than they actually were. Standing behind all three of them, however, was a woman, clad in thin white robes. She was down on the ground, clearly praying.

I turned towards Petrus. "I see you've made some new acquaintances. Are there any here willing to teach me?"

As I'd assumed, the cleric let out a short laugh. "Vince and Nico here know about as much about miracles as your brother. They might tell you how to poke people with your spear a little bit harder, I doubt you'll get much else out of them." He looked behind his shoulder, towards the woman. "Reah might know a thing or two, if she's willing to open up."

"Hired help...are you on a mission?"

Petrus looked towards the two hired hands, nodding. "You could say that, yes. Don't worry, we've got all we need here. You're free to go running off with your brother as you were."

He was starting to get on my nerves...quickly. I didn't even bother with a response, slipping past the three men, towards Reah. I knelt down beside her, taking a seat on the mossy stone floor. To my surprise, she wasn't actually praying, simply in the position. I spoke softly, feeling as if she was made of glass. "Petrus told me that you might have some miracles you'd be able to teach me. I know I'm not part of the 'Way of White', but...I was hoping you might help?"

To my surprise, Reah looked up, breaking her stance. "Have no fear. Petrus is far too strict on such matters. Do you have an aptitude to learn?"

I nodded, holding out my talisman. "This has served me well time and time again. If there is any way you could help, I would certainly appreciate it."

She nodded. "I can...but not here. Petrus, Vince, Nico...they would not approve. When we are finished with our mission here, meet me in the church up above. There, I will teach you."

"What is your mission?"

"I cannot say...they have not told me much. Though Petrus claims Vince and Nico are the hired hands, I cannot shake the feeling that I am the one that is being used."

"Then why are you going with them?"

At this, she paused. "I did not wish to at first, but I cannot disobey an order."

I nodded, understanding the plight she was in. "How will I know when you have finished?"

"They will be without me. I am only required to accompany them until we have found what we are searching for. Afterwards, we are free to explore as we please."

I nodded again. "I will see you then, Reah." With that I stood up, walking away from her, back towards Petrus.

"As I said, even she realizes that those not part of the Way of White are lost causes."

The cleric was already quite on my nerves, and I wish there was more that I could do besides glower at him as I walked away. Unfortunately, that was all I could do, my expression conveying more than words ever could. I walked back towards Flynn, sitting down next to the bonfire. He turned to me, cocking his head. "What was all that about? I could hear enough to know you weren't welcome."

"The clerics have some mission...I don't know where or when they will leave. However, there's a woman with them, Reah, that promised to teach me miracles when they were finished. Not much we can do until then, unfortunately." I paused for a moment, realizing how that sounded. "Except continue searching for Lautrec, of course. If you're ready, I'm all set to depart."

He nodded, the two of us getting to our feet. "Then let's leave."

We left the Shrine, walking through the sewers yet again, finding ourselves back at the staircase we were at earlier. This time, however, we descended into the darkness. We found ourselves in what seemed to be some sort of warehouse, many broken boxes lining the dark walls. At the end of the stairway was another large room, with more of the same decorations as before.

To our right, however, I could see several hollows, all of them milling about in what appeared to be a meeting hall of some sort. A few carried torches, the flames dancing about as they meandered, though they still seemed as lifeless as ever. I could tell that Flynn noticed them too, withdrawing his weapons. Thankfully he kept the demon blade on his back opting to take his claymore instead.

As Flynn rounded the staircase to get down, towards the hollows, it was as if he had rung a bell announcing his presence. Five heads all turned towards him, charging as one mob, moving to congregate around the base of the stairs. One brave undead, one of the two carrying the torch, charged up the stairs, towards Flynn. The torch bounced off of his shield, and the undead was put down with a swift cut of his blade. The rest were dealt with in the same, methodical fashion, none of them intelligent enough to attack as a group.

We advanced through the meeting hall, past broken tables that likely had been used in decades, finding another stairway that we descended. Halfway down, however, two of the strange dogs from the settlement came charging up the staircase, their blinding speed catching even Flynn off guard. Unlike the settlement, there seemed to be quite a bit of ambient noise floating around...dripping water, footsteps, fire. It helped to mask the beasts' movements, their footsteps lost amidst the din.

One of the two pounced on Flynn, throwing its entire body on him. He nearly fell backwards from the force, barely managing to keep his ground. I immediately brought up my talisman, forming a lightning spear, the familiar crackling energy feeling quite at home in my hand by now. I launched it at the beast, sending it flying off into a wall. At that point, the second beast made it to Flynn, but my brother was now ready. Right as the dog got up to him he thrust his shield sideways, sending the beast hurtling off towards me. I reached for my spear and thrust it into the dog, watching its movements go limp instantly.

Flynn looked my way. "I can't say I'm glad that we're still seeing those, but I guess it beats learning how to fight something else." He showed me his shield, slick green liquid still on the front of them. "It seems like whatever poison is on the beast is naturally forming, unless we find more of those shady guys in here as well."

I nodded. "Well, then be on your guard. We don't know if we'll find another bonfire anytime soon, and I have no way of curing poison. I'll just have to let it bleed out of your system, which doesn't sound too great."

Flynn continued down the stairs, finding himself at another small landing. As soon as he did so, however, he took several steps back up the stairs, crouching down. "Well, there's something you don't see every day."

"What is it?"

He pointed forward. "There seems to be some sort of...butcher? He, she, I can't really tell, has one of those dogs on the table, and currently is carving it. I can't even imagine how bad undead meat must taste."

I crept forward, kneeling down. Sure enough, it was one of the strangest sights I'd seen thus far. The butcher wore a bag over its head, obscuring its features, yet that didn't stop it from completing doing its job. In one hand it held a large butcher knife, cleaving the dog in two, and then moving on to skin the beast. Had the butcher not been got at its job it would have been completely revolting to watch, but the skill in which the dog was prepared, while blindfolded, was actually quite impressive. "What's the plan?"

"Same as usual. We walk forward, and kill anything that tries to kill us."

"Flynn, this is why you're not good at making friends."

He held up a hand in protest, but dropped it back down. "That's...yeah."

He stood up, brandishing his weapon, approaching the target. Right when he got to the end of the staircase the butcher looked up, the sack staring straight at us. Without a moment's hesitation it thrust its sword to the side, knocking over the table it had just been working on, rushing towards Flynn.

"I think that means its not a friend. Thoughts, sister?"

I simply sighed, holding my talisman out, circling around the two to get a better angle. The butcher was quite a bit taller than Flynn, though not nearly as massive as some of the other undead we'd seen thus far. It knew how to use its blade well, however, clutching the weapon with two hands, holding it out lengthwise across its body. Flynn went to block the attack but it didn't matter, the butcher lifting the blade high into the air, only to bring it crashing down onto his head. The sheer strength knocked him to the ground, his body falling flat against the damp floor.

I hurled a lightning spear at the butcher, catching it directly on the shoulder. It turned to look at me, dropping one hand from the blade, now choosing to march towards me. I didn't even bother to withdraw my shield...as I'd just seen, it wouldn't matter. Just as the butcher began to swing I lunged forward, tucking and rolling, popping back up on the other side. I immediately thrust my spear forward, piercing the butcher, and immediately backing off.

I was starting to get use to close combat...I wasn't particularly proud of it, but I was. The spear was a fairly simple weapon, but I felt like I knew how to use it effectively. As much as I wished that I could solely fight from afar, it seemed like Lordan had other plans for me.

I started backpedaling as the butcher recovered from my thrust, its heavy blade now moving towards me once again. I threw myself to the side as it winded up for another strike, though my landing was not nearly as graceful as before. I brought myself back to my feet, only to have to roll, avoiding the downward smash that was headed directly towards me.

At that moment, I saw a familiar blade emerge from the butcher's midsection, Flynn's claymore piercing through the unsuspecting enemy. The surprise gave me enough time to scramble to my feet, taking a few steps away from the butcher.

Unfortunately, it was not done just yet. Wildly it swung its sword behind it, thankfully managing to catch Flynn's shield. Seeing this, my brother wrenched the sword around, digging further into the butcher, creating an ever-larger hole in its chest.

With a thud, the butcher fell to the ground, dissolving into souls. I took a look around the area the butcher was working in. Piles of meat were strewn about the place, the butcher clearly having done this for an untold amount of time. However, what most caught my attention was tucked away in a dark corner, between two workbenches. There was a dull flickering, barely noticeable amidst all the clutter. I stuck my hand forward, trying to reach for it, finding whatever was back there quite hot to the touch.

When I pulled it back, I was holding a small box, with an orange flame dancing in the middle. I pointed it out to Flynn, holding my find out for him. "Do you remember that ember that we found past the butterfly? Looks like our butcher here might have been a blacksmith in a previous life."

Flynn rushed towards my hand, holding up the strange box. "It certainly looks the same, though the ember isn't the same as the divine one we found earlier. Perhaps this will help him create something else." He gave it back to me, looking around. "Once we're done with Lautrec, we'll have to take this to Andre, assuming he wants it."

Flynn took one more step, looking around, when I watched him tumble down, seemingly into the floor. I rushed over immediately, finding him clutching the ledge, a strange vertical passage hidden behind the butcher's workstation. I knelt down, holding my hand out, trying to get Flynn back up.

He looked behind him, turning back to me. "Sister, we both know you aren't going to be able to pull me up, even if I wasn't in all this armor. I'll see you back at the bonfire."

With that, he let go, and I thrust my hand out even further. I grabbed his wrist, holding on for dear life, not willing to let him go. "Flynn, we're getting you out of here. Just work with me here." I pulled on his arm, the action as futile as he'd said it be, my brother simply too heavy to try and lift up.

"Resa...I'm standing on the ground down here. Really, it's not that bad. You should come join."

"Then...you're fine?"

He nodded. "Perfectly."

I scowled. "Don't you dare pull that on me again, understand?" I swung around, letting my legs down into the hole, landing on the ground next to Flynn. I landed in a pile of scraps, the chute apparently some sort of garbage chute for the butcher. The two of us ducked down, getting out, inspecting our new surroundings.

We were in a large room, with another floor beneath us, holding what had to be the world's largest rat. The thing was easily on the border of thirty feet long, with pockets of white pus all around its body.

"Flynn, I thought you said it wasn't that bad. That thing is disgusting, and we're going to have to get down there to get out. I think I'd rather go back up."

He withdrew his claymore, staring down at the massive rat. It had definitely noticed us, turning to face the two of us up on the ledge. Several weapons were embedded in its skin, evidence of previous undead that had lost their life fighting this monstrosity. "I've killed plenty of rats before. It can't be that bad."

I looked back up the chute...I might have been able to squeeze my way back up there, but there was no way Flynn would manage it. "Alright then, what's the plan. I can easily take it on up here, but I don't know how many lightning spears it will take. I might be useless until we find a bonfire."

He took my hand, pointing towards the spear on my back. "Not useless. You have to get out of the thought that your talisman is your only weapon." He paused before turning back to the rat. "Anyways, strategy. You stay up here if you'd like, but I'm going in. Keep me safe."

With that, he jumped off the ledge, towards the rat. On his way down, his claymore cut a deep gash into the side of the beast, blood spurting from the wound instantaneously. He immediately backed off once he was on the ground, holding up his shield to block the rat's retaliation.

I held up my talisman, forming a lightning spear, launching it at the rat. The beast squealed in pain, a horrendous noise that was equally as deafening, the confined space of the sewers making the sound echo about. I threw two more spears at it, each one eliciting the same response.

Down below, Flynn was faring quite well. The beast was not nearly as aggressive as the demon we'd previously fought, but its attacks covered quite a large area. Still, Flynn deftly moved around it, whatever he wasn't able to outrun, his shield taking the hits for him.

Suddenly, I had an idea. We'd done the action several times now, and it always proved quite effective. This time, however, I didn't have to use Flynn's weapon… I held up my talisman once again, focusing on one of the weapons embedded in the rat's side. I launched the spear forward, sending it right through the weapon. As I expected, the entire blade lit up from the lightning, shocking the giant beast momentarily before going dark.

I put back my talisman...I'd used it enough. We had no idea where the nearest bonfire would be, and I wasn't willing to risk not having lightning spears if I needed them. I withdrew my spear, waiting for a moment where the beast wasn't facing me, and jumped off the ledge.

Just as Flynn did, my spear dug into the beast's flesh, a gout of blood following my trail. Once I was on the ground I retreated from it, bringing up my shield. I called out to Flynn, who was on the other side. "If you need a miracle, just yell."

"What if I'm too injured to be able to yell?"

I shook my head, sighing. "Yell louder."

"Great plan, Resa."

The rat was turned to face Flynn, my brother clearly more of a threat to the mindless beast than I was. I took advantage of this, getting in several quick thrusts, diggin into the left flank of the rat. I'd nearly crippled its back left leg, the rat barely able to support its massive weight on only three legs. I continued my assault, targeting the weak point, until it at last it dissolved into souls.

On the other side, Flynn was stood there, his shield high over his head, crouched down to the ground. "Well...a half second later and I was about to get slammed. Thanks." He dropped his shield arm, sheathing his claymore for the time being.

He walked over to one of the several grates on the wall, towards a corpse. I noticed this while we were fighting. I think I'm starting to have a knack for finding them." Kneeling down, he picked up a small key, shaking it around. "I haven't seen any locked doors here, but hopefully we find one. I'd hate to have another mystery key."

I nodded, and he pocketed the key away. I looked around the room, searching for an exit. One of the far walls was completely gone, the sound of rushing water coming from it. Upon further inspection, it looked like a massive drain, a sort of waterfall sliding down. On the far corner of the room, however, was a small doorway, which seemed the better option.

We continued onwards, through the doorway. On the other side were very cramped tunnels, low enough that Flynn had to duck to get through safely. I took a right at a fork in the path, trying to find purchase on slick walls that just weren't there. My feet started sliding down the small incline I'd led us down, unable to get my balance.

My heart sunk as I looked ahead, finding a grate that had been tossed aside, leaving in its place a small hole in the floor...yet still large enough to fit either of us. With little time to spare, I released my hold on the walls, reaching for my spear right as my first foot slipped through the hole.

My breath stopped as I felt my entire body drop, my spear held up over my head. A half-second later my entire body stopped, bouncing slightly. I looked up, seeing my spear spanning the length of the hole, the only thing keeping me from falling to whatever was beneath me. I peered down, not quite able to discern what was beneath me at the moment. It was still a fairly sizeable drop, however, and it was one that I wasn't ready to make.

From up above, I could see Flynn, straddling the hole as he looked down. "Resa, are you alright?"

"Does it look like I'm alright?"

"Are you going to drop, or do you want me to try to bring you back up?"

I looked down, trying to discern where the floor was beneath me. At the same time, a strange creature walked into my view, one that certainly answered my question. It looked like some sort of lizard, though no larger than a large dog, with two massive eyes on each side of its head. As soon as it saw me it looked up, spraying a black mist from its mouth, backing up. As the mist rose it felt like my entire body was turning into a crystal, my legs quickly losing any sort of feeling, with my waist not far behind. I looked up to Flynn. "Up, now!"

He gripped the spear, the wooden stick still somehow able to support my weight, lifting it up. I felt a hand on my hand, and then my arm, as Flynn quickly took to getting me out of my predicament. Down below, I couldn't feel my legs at all at this point, whatever strange mist the creature produced still destroying my lower half.

"Alright, now I need two hands, so get ready for a jump."

"What?"

He didn't answer, simply putting his plans into action. I felt my entire body yanked upward by my arm, followed by Flynn dropping his grip on me. A moment later and he wrapped both arms around my waist, now having a tight hold over me. From this position, he could see the strange crystals that had been forming on my legs, as well as the fact that they'd turned completely gray in color, and stony in texture. Carefully, he navigated to the other side of the open grate, setting me down.

In my current state, I couldn't bend my legs, and so I was forced to sit straight out, returning my spear to my back.

"That doesn't look like poison. Have you encountered anything like this before?" Flynn took a seat beside me, positioning himself so he could look up where we'd been, and down were we had to go.

I looked down at my legs, inspecting them. None of this looked familiar to me...for once, I didn't know the treatment. Out of curiosity, I help up my talisman, conferring a miracle on myself. As I'd expected, nothing changed, my legs still remaining the same stony texture as before.

"No, I've never seen anything like it. Some strange lizard breathed it out of itself though...we're never going down there."

I started picking at the crystals, finding that they weren't as attached as it seemed. The first one came off easily enough, and the skin around it seemed to return to a more healthy state. Flynn noticed the change too, and moved to help me. I took one leg while he took the other, each crystal coming off my skin easily enough.

Eventually, I could feel my legs again, managing to bend my knees again, so simple an action exciting me so much. Carefully, I took to my feet, managing to balance on them. Even though I hadn't used them for a mere five minutes, it felt much longer, my stance wobbly from whatever had happened to me. "Alright, I think I'm ready to move on. Thanks for the help."

We headed forward, towards the end of the tunnel, finding no more obstructions to our path. As we got to the end there was another fork, which looked to connect back to the first one. We used the space to swap positions, letting Flynn take the lead once again.

We emerged outside, finding ourselves face to face with several large rats. They weren't nearly as big as the giant we'd just faced, but they were about the same size as the undead dogs we'd seen back in the settlement. What was worse, however, was the familiar caster nearby. It was the same one as what was in the church, with the strangest headdress I'd seen to date. As soon as it spotted us it held up its staff, beginning a bizarre dance in place.

Flynn looked back to me, shaking his head. "Last time we saw one of those the undead nearby hit much harder than I thought they should. I'm going to need some help here."

Flynn hunkered down, thrusting his shield forward to block the rats. As they charged at him I could see what he was talking about, something I couldn't see from the brighter lights on the church. They seemed to be emanating a red, wispy aura, not unlike the one my ring put around me. With each strike Flynn's stance wavered, his usual, unbreakable defense barely holding up against four simple rats.

I conjured a lightning spear, throwing it into the crowd. Thankfully, like last time, the aura didn't seem to make the rats any more resilient, the first one easily dispatched by one spear. I threw two more, starting to feel the beginnings of the pain creeping up my arm.

Flynn lashed out at the final rat, easily taking it down before it could get a hit in. Now, with nothing left but the caster, he rushed forward, the two of us hiding behind our shields as we approached. This time, however, we were much closer, and whatever sorcery it tried to cast was simply stopped by Flynn hacking at it with his claymore. After several clean swiped the strange undead was felled, dissipating away.

Now that the enemies were done, we looked around the space. We looked to be on some kind of castle walls, the architecture now one of carefully laid stone bricks. To our right was an impossibly large room, several broken pillars dotting the floor. It looked to be two, maybe three floors below us, though it was hard to tell given the scale of the room.

Flynn continued down the floor, passing by the doorway that the caster had been guarding. Down at the very end he knelt down, clearly intrigued by something. I rushed over as he held it up, moving it around. To me, it looked like a simple black stone, about the size of his hand, maybe a little larger.

He held it out, showing it. "Resa...this is titantite. A lot of titanite. This must have been what Andre was talking about, about there being larger pieces of titanite in the world." He tucked it away, clearly fascinated.

"Well, where do you think it came from? I doubt an undead would just leave one lying around, so something around here must have it."

He nodded, looking around. "I was thinking the same thing. The rats seem like unlikely candidates, and I haven't seen any undead around here that might carry themselves. I'll be on the lookout." I could tell he was giddy with excitement, like a child that'd just been told about a new toy.

"Alright, well, this is clearly a dead end, so let's see what else is around. I'm starting to feel the lightning spears, so I probably only have two or three more before I'm out. If we could find a bonfire, that would be fantastic."

I followed Flynn back through the doorway, entering back into the small tunnels we had been in before. This time, however, we weren't in there for long, quickly rounding a corner and emerging out into a more spacious area. To our left was a large opening in the wall, filled in by several metal bars from floor to ceiling. At the base was a corpse, the one Flynn had picked the key off of earlier.

Our only way forward, was up a small set of stairs, continuing through the maze-like sewers it felt like we were lost in. The two of us continued on, winding around, until we came across a group of rats huddled in the corner of the room. They all spun about to face us, immediately cowering when they saw the two of us standing there. They were even smaller than the ones that we'd seen prior, though not by much.

Flynn waved his hand around, trying to scare them off. "Shoo. Go. I'd rather not have to kill more of you."

Still, they remained, advancing towards us as a group. I withdrew my spear, not wanting to use any more miracles in the event that we encounter another strong foe. They crept further and further towards the two of us, until eventually one jumped towards my brother. Flynn slashed it down in the air, the body momentarily in two halves before dissipating. He followed through the swing, slicing the sword beneath him, severing two more of them before his blade stopped moving. I thrusted my spear forward, taking down the last one.

"Oh sister, you have got to see this."

I leaned forward, unaware of what Flynn was talking about. I took a few steps forward, circling around him, getting a better view of it. He was pointing to an axe...a massive, giant axe. He picked it up, the simple action requiring two hands, slinging it over his shoulder. He gave it a few test swings, holding it both close to the neck and the end, giving him a fairly short range. Still, with a blade that large and heavy, it looked like it would be painful.

He put away his shield for the time being, holding the greataxe over his left arm while he kept his claymore out over his right. "I'll trade this out with the demon blade once we get back. I know you're not a fan of it, and I think this will serve me the same purpose. No way I can wield this with one hand...at least not yet. I think with a little more practice I might be able to."

I looked behind his back, towards the demon blade. "Flynn, you don't have to do that because of me. I've watched you fighting today...I'm not worried anymore."

He shook his head. "No, you're right. There's a lot of magic in this place that doesn't come in a scroll. I'm not saying I'll put it away for good, just for the time being. If I get to the point that I can hold this axe in one hand, I'll need something else to fill the 'too large to use with a shield' role."

I laughed, nodding. "Alright, well then let's head back to the bonfire. I don't have many lightning spears left, and now you can't use your shield. I'd rather play it safe."

"I've been trying to keep track of where we are...as hard as that sounds. If I recall correctly, the butcher's room should be down this hallway." He turned, pointing the claymore down the one path out of where we were. "At the very least we could give it a shot. If we don't wrap around quickly then we can turn around and trek back."

"Alright, but I'll lead. I still have a shield, after all." I pressed onward, down the small hallway, finding ourselves at another small room. In the corner, somewhat obscured behind some boxes, was a ladder that led downwards. I passed it, making a note of it for later, continuing on, now up a small staircase.

At the top of it was a hollow, one of the few that were wielding a torch. I could feel the heat from the flame almost before I'd seen it, the heat contrasting sharply with the cool air of the sewer system. I held up my shield, readying my spear. The undead lunged forward, the fire bouncing off of my shield, and I quickly retaliated with several focused thrusts. That was all it took to take it down, and we pressed forward.

To our right was a long hallway, another hollow at the far end. To our left however was a door. I tried it, finding it locked. "Flynn, let's hope that key you found works, and is hiding something great."

He reached around, finding the key from earlier, and we both watched as it smoothly fit into the lock. Inside was a small tunnel...with an unlit bonfire at the very end. I rushed down, holding out my hand to light the fire. The soothing flames roared to life, and I took a seat.

Flynn deposited both the demon blade and the titanite he'd found earlier, taking a seat next to me. "Let's rest up here, but not for long. Lautrec could be lost in here too, wish means we have a decent chance at finding him down here if we get lucky."

"Then we'll make this a short rest, and get back out there as soon as possible."


	10. Chapter 10

**Flynn**

 **SL32 - 16 VIT - 10 ATT - 18 END - 27 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL32 - 16 VIT - 19 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 10 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 22 FTH**

 **Flynn**

After our short break, I got up, looking out the hallway. I still had no way to know where Lautrec had gone...this place was an absolute maze. We'd been through more tunnels than I could even count, each one of them seemingly weaving back around on itself. There had to be some easier way...something we were missing.

I turned back, seeing Resa still staring into the fire. Normally, I would have thought that this was a sign that she was hollowing...it seemed to go hand-in-hand with getting lost in the flames. However, her skin showed only faint traces of hollowing. Perhaps, for once, she just needed a short break...one that I would let her have.

I left the long hallway that led to the bonfire, cutting down the torch-bearing undead that guarded the door. I put away the claymore, reaching for the greataxe that was weighing down my back. She wasn't around to know...know how good it felt to be swinging a massive, unwieldy weapon. I'd kept myself from using the demon blade out of her request, but there was no way she would be able to make an argument against a simple axe.

Down the hallway I went, my feet sloshing through the layer of water and sewage littering the ground. One more step, and I felt my foot kick something solid, something hard...something unlike anything else here. I knelt down, trying to fish for the unknown object with my foot, locating it quickly and bringing it up to the surface.

In my hand was a rock, clearly titanite...but this was green. I remembered what Andre had told me about green titanite...it was a catalyst, of sorts, priming the metal for blue, white, and red titanite. We'd already delivered him an ember that carried a divine flame, which meant that a divine weapon was now a complete possibility for Resa. I looked down at the ember I was carrying...perhaps we could even make a fire weapon if this was indeed that ember.

I looked down at the titanite again...where had it come from? This was the second piece we'd found in the sewers, though the other was simply a large piece of standard titanite. There was no way that this was washing down the sewer on its own, unless - .

My thoughts were cut short as my eyesight instantly vanished, my head and shoulders completely embraced in a soft, rubbery texture. What came next felt more like needles digging into my skin, through my armor, piercing me alive. The sensation lasted several seconds, until I finally wrenched myself free from whatever entity was attacking me.

On the ground was some sort of slime, clearly what had just hit me. I took the greataxe and brought it down across its center, cleaving the strange slime in two instantly. Unfortunately, they merged back together over the next few seconds, the foreign anatomy of a slime something I wasn't familiar with. It rose up, growing larger than I ever thought it could, before it formed spikes out of its rubbery flesh, poking right through me. I gave two more slices in quick succession, before it finally dissolved away into souls.

I brushed at my armor, removing the traces of the slime from my armor...where had it come from? I looked up at the ceiling, and immediately took several steps back. There were four or five more, each clinging to the ceiling, lying in wait for some clumsy undead like me to become their next meal.

Then, a thought struck me...these must have been the source of the titanite, or at least the green titanite. I baited the next one out from its hiding spot, holding my claymore underneath it. Sure enough, the slime fell from its perch, and I swiftly retracted the blade. I gripped the greataxe, giving three thunderous swings in a row, the third of which ended it. It left behind a piece of titanite...though it was standard, black titanite. So it seemed they held both green and black titanite, though I didn't want to know how they got them.

I continued down the hall, cutting down each slime in the same manner, as well as the hollow that was at the far end. I found another piece of green titanite off one of the corpses, further proving that the prior piece was not just coincidence. With the hallway cleared, I returned to Resa at the bonfire. I stood at the doorway, not wanting to actually sit at the bonfire and risk losing precious time.

"Resa...are you ready to go?"

Thankfully she heard me, not too lost in whatever trance she was in to miss me. She stood up, grabbing her spear and shield from her back, and followed me out the hallway. I switched around my weapons, sheathing the greataxe while drawing the claymore from my back, as well as my shield.

"I found the source of the titanite. There were slimes hanging from the ceiling, and one of them dropped a large piece of titanite. Also, this." I held out the green titanite I'd picked up earlier, showing it to her. "Do you know what this means?"

She shook her head. "I wasn't quite paying attention when Andre was going over the titanite. I figured you were so invested in it that I wouldn't have to worry about it."

"It means that, given enough resources, we can have you set up with a divine weapon, should you want it. I have a feeling I know the answer to that."

I could tell she was tossing it around, my sister looking down at her spear. "Yeah, but seeing how often you've been changing around weapons, I don't know if I'm ready to invest into this spear just yet. We know Andre didn't have green titanite, so whatever we need, we're going to have to find ourselves. I just don't know if it's worth it for this thing." She tossed the spear around, accentuating her point.

"Once we find Lautrec, we've got no time constraints. There's no reason we can't take the time to make sure we're ready protected from Lordran. If that's finding you a weapon you're comfortable with, then I see no reason why not...where's this coming from, if I may ask?"

At that she broke down, leaning heavily on my shoulder. "Look at me versus you. You've been changing constantly since the day we've been here. You've gone through, what, four weapons? Five? I can't even remember. That's your second shield, and your second suit of armor. Me? I'm using the shield you said I needed and this spear replaced my mace. That's it. I feel like this whole world is changing, and yet I refuse to."

I reached for her hand, lifting up the talisman from her hip. "You forgot the biggest change, something I haven't done. You've become part of a covenant, and you've learned to heal people through prayer, as well as conjure spears of lightning through prayer as well. Tell me, does that sound like someone that refuses to change?" I poked her head. "You're changing mentally, spiritually, while I'm changing physically. Don't underestimate that, because I'd have been dead several times were it not for a miracle."

"Yeah, but…"

"None of that, sister. Once you're able to meet with Reah again, I'm sure you'll learn even more incredible miracles. You can't tell me you aren't excited about that. You know you can't."

"Fine. As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. Now let's stop worrying about me and find a way out of this mess."

I nodded, and we continued on, through the tunnels. We rounded a corner, and then another, coming out on a long hallway. If my guess was correct, we were near where we'd seen the butcher earlier. I was hoping that we'd see some sort of other exit by now, but it seemed like this was a straight shot to the hallway with the slimes. We rounded one more corner, following down the same hallway.

To our left was a hole in the wall, broken away however long ago. From the looks of it, that was where we'd seen the butcher...though it was hard to tell looking at it from the other side. Up ahead was one last room, and our only chance to find a way out.

I took one step inside the room, finding it almost completely filled with barrels...there had to be three dozen of them, at least. In the back corner, however, I could see a hood poking out from one of the barrels. It could see us too, eyes clouded by fear. "What do you want? Are you back for more?"

Not this again...I needed to ditch this armor, and quickly. I took off my helmet, showing myself. "I'm not him...though I can't blame you for thinking so. Let me guess, you helped someone dressed like me, and as payment they trapped you in here?"

The man nodded. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Look, since you're not him, you need to run, now. There's this freak around here that wants to eat me. Wears a sack over her head...I'm surprised you dodged her."

He must have meant the butcher...there was nothing else that matched that description. "We took her out a while ago. You're safe now."

He shook his head violently. "If you did, then she's back, and I think she's hungry!"

At the same moment, a grotesque figure burst through the door. It was the butcher...or another one, it was impossible to tell. Still, the sack over the head and massive meat cleaver gave it away instantly. The butcher charged into the room, only stopping once it saw that there was more to be had here than the strange man that was trapped in the barrels. It spun about, careening into the barrels as it did so, before charging right at Resa.

I immediately stepped into action, lunging to the side, interposing myself between the two of them. Resa had started showing remarkable fighting prowess...I'm guessing our forced fight with the goat demon had removed whatever trepidations she had. Still, I didn't want her to be getting hit because I wasn't there...I wouldn't allow it.

I spun about, drawing my claymore, and whirling around to send it slicing through the butcher's midsection. A clean cut split right across the stomach, thick rivulets of blood instantly beginning to spill forth. The butcher didn't seem to care though, raising it's knife high over its head, preparing for an attack. I'd remembered this from before, however, and took a half-step back, letting the blade pass harmlessly in front of me. I countered, swiping right, and then left, leaving twin gashes across the front.

From behind, I heard the familiar crackling of electricity, as a lightning spear was launched directly at the butcher. It let out a howl of pain, and I continued my onslaught, the butcher's front now beginning to look horribly mutilated. Still, somehow, it persevered, trying to catch me off guard with a sharp, horizontal strike. I held out my shield to absorb the hit, barely even feeling the impact. I heard another lightning strike coming, and a moment later, the butcher burst into souls.

I wiped my blade clean, moving over towards Resa. "First the rat, and now this? I'm starting to think you're trying to even our kill count."

She laughed, putting away her shield. "Don't worry brother, I'm far from worried about it. However, it wouldn't be fair to let you do all the work."

"Fair enough." I turned back to the man in the corner, still trapped back there. "Let's get you out of there."

I took out my claymore, cutting down barrel after barrel. They were, in general, poorly constructed, seeming to break apart upon impact. Still, it seemed like there were an endless supply of them, as I advanced further towards the man in the corner.

With one final, careful strike, I cut down the last barrel, freeing the man. He fell to the ground, his legs instantly giving out. Resa rushed over, helping him to his feet. Now that he was finally out, I could get a good look at him. He was dressed in rags...though he seemed to dress them up. Two decorative necklaces hung from his body, the only way that let me know that the burlap he was wearing was his choice, and not a punishment. Still, the man looked terrible, with cloth straps hanging down from the loose parts of his clothing.

"My name...is Laurentius. Laurentius of the Great Swamp. I wouldn't suppose you've heard of us...not many people do. May I ask who you are?"

My sister responded for me. "My name is Resa, and this is my brother Flynn, of Thorolund. So, you say that a man, dressed in my brother's armor, trapped you in here?"

Laurentius nodded, leaning on the wall to stabilize himself. "Yes. I was exploring down here, trying to find a place called Blighttown, when I ran across him. He seemed lost, even more lost than I was, and so I helped him out. Showed him the places I know, tried to help him out… The last thing I remember was his shield bashing into me. I'm willing to bet that he knocked me out, based on how things went. When I came back to my senses, I was stuck in this barrel, and that butcher seemed quite keen on having me as food. Thanks for that, by the way."

I nodded. I'd more or less stopped paying attention when he mentioned Blighttown...we were suppose to go there, and this was our first indication that it actually, truly existed. "So this Blighttown...do you know where it is?"

He nodded. "I think so, but I don't know how to get there. There's a large hallway a little ways down, perhaps you've seen it by now. At the end, there's these gates. Big, massive gates, with iron bars as thick as your arm. I'm sure that Blighttown is past there...but they're locked. I don't know how long I've been wandering around down here, and I haven't been able to find the key."

Resa spoke up. "Do you seek the Bell of Awakening there?"

He cocked his head to the side. "I...I've never heard of such a thing, so I guess not. I...well, it would be best if I showed you."

He held out his hand, wrapped in little more than a dingy cloth. Out of nowhere a fire sprung forth, dancing around in his hands. It was barely more than a flicker, but it was incredibly persistent. He even moved his hand around, closing it, opening it, and yet the flame was always there. "I'm a pyromancer, you see. Doubt you've seen another one of us, it's fairly local to the Great Swamp. I've heard tell, however, that a great pyromancer hides down in Blighttown, coming out only when there is a student worthy of her teaching." He held out his hand again, and I watched as the little flame grew larger, and larger, until it was as big as a clenched fist. "I've been at this for years. I'm hoping that, perhaps, she would be willing to teach me."

He put his two hands together, and all of a sudden, one flame became two. They each danced about, one on each palm. He looked at me. "Hold out your hand. I want to thank you, for rescuing me from this place. I want to give you the gift of pyromancy."

I shook my head. "I've already got a shield, and a sword...as generous as your offer is, I'm afraid I'd have no use for your pyromancy."

Resa turned to me, a scowl on her face. "Flynn, that's hardly appropriate."

Laurentius looked up to me. "I'm not saying that you need to use it, I just want you to have it. Truly, there's not much of a downside."

Begrudgingly, I put away my shield, holding out my left hand. I took off my gauntlet, unsure whether or not it mattered. With my bare flesh so close to the flame, I could feel its heat, like a soothing candle on a rainy night.

Laurentius placed his hand on mine, and for a moment, I could feel the heat completely dissipate. However, it returned a moment later, thought it felt different somehow...like it was a part of me. He removed his hand, and there, in my palm, was the same flame. It flickered, wavering slightly, clearly realizing that it was now in much inferior hands.

Laurentius reached around, pulling out a small scroll. "And here, take this. Pyromancy is more than just holding a small flame in your hand. This scroll will teach you to create a small fireball, one that can be thrown. Here, I'll demonstrate."

The pyromancer turned around, towards the back wall of the room. He held out his hand, the flame flickering about. Suddenly, it swelled greatly in size, until it was about the size of his head. He threw it forward, and the fireball arced forward, until it hit the wall. There, it dissipated, fading away.

He turned around, and I could still see the fire dancing about in his hand. "It's nothing particularly fancy, but it works well in a pinch. I know more, but I'm afraid I can't give away all my secrets for free." He paused for a moment, before pointing towards Resa. "Also, I suppose one last thing, since I can see you know miracles. Unlike your miracles, pyromancies don't rely on your connection to the gods, or your mastery of magic like sorceries." He pointed to my flame, which I hadn't even figured out how to make go away. "It relies on that flame. It can be strengthened, by feeding it souls, but that might be something I have to show you...should you choose to use it, of course."

I nodded...this was a lot to take in, for a flame that I had little intention of using. "I'll keep all this in mind, Laurentius. And if we find the key to Blighttown, we'll be sure to let you know. Where do you plan on going from here."

He scratched his head, looking about. "Well, I hadn't thought about it that much, but I suppose back to Firelink Shrine. I've run out of ideas down here, and I don't want to get in your way much. If you do find the key, let me know. And if you find the teacher, perhaps I'll move down there, and give her some company."

"How will I know what she looks like?"

He shrugged. "I wish I knew. I've only heard stories about her...she might not even exist. 'Quelaana', she's known by. Nobody's ever seen her, or at least none that have seen her will admit to it. It's my hope to be the first."

I nodded again. Quelaana...she might not even be real, and yet Laurentius was willing to risk everything to find her. It was true dedication, or perhaps just the last efforts of a man trying to avoid hollowing. Laurentius seemed completely fine, however...perhaps he really did believe in the myths. "Well, again, if we find her, I'll let you know. Stay safe, Laurentius."

"And you too, Flynn and Resa."

With that, he was on his way, the three of us heading out the door. Unlike us, however, he dropped down, through the crack in the wall, even further evidence that it leaded back towards the Shrine.

Resa turned to me. "So, where to now? There was a ladder a ways back. Now that you aren't carrying three weapons with you, it wouldn't be a bad idea to see what's down there. We should at least try to find that gate Laurentius mentioned, and go from there."

"I didn't notice it, so I'll bring up the rear for a little bit." As I followed her, I kept staring at the persistent fire in my hands. I squeezed my fist as tight as possible, and yet I still couldn't manage to snuff the flame out. It made holding my shield awkward...the fire was too hot to hold with a closed fist, meaning that I couldn't hold the straps on my shield. Laurentius had made it seem like this pyromancy was some sort of gift...and yet it felt like a curse.

Eventually, we made it to the ladder, and the two of us descended. Below was a small room, with a door at one end. A quick test found that the door was locked shut, barring any way forward. Resa turned to me. "Alright, I'm out of ideas. Where else is there to go?"

I had an idea...a terrible one, but it seemed like the only one we had. "Follow me, there may be one place left."

I ascended the ladder again, winding through the narrow corridors of the sewers. Eventually, we were back where we'd fought the giant rat, and I looked down the far side. The room only had three walls to it, the fourth instead leading to a long slope, slick with whatever water ran through the sewers. I pointed, noting the floor at the other end of the ramp. "We go that way."

"Flynn, you're joking."

I shook my head. "We're out of options. We know Lautrec had to go down here, and yet we haven't run into him. That must mean that he's gone somewhere we haven't, and right now, this is the only way I see."

I took one step onto the slope, and I immediately tumbled down. It was far more slick than I had anticipated, leading to my fall down the slope. Resa looked on in horror as I fell down, her face awash with horror.

Suddenly, right when I was at the bottom of the slope, I fell. I didn't see it from above, but there must have been some gap in the slope, leading down into...wherever I was now. I fell onto the ground a second later, landing on what had to be Lordan's most disgusting substance. It looked like some sort of...mucus pile, several feet tall and wide. Blood spurted from the center of it, covering the back of my armor with a revolting mixture of the two. From above, the water was still trickling down, and I held my back under it to try and wash it off.

I had an idea...one that I hoped would put this stupid flame away. I held out my hand, letting the water flow past it, and onto the flame. It tried to jump around, avoiding the water, as if it simply refused to perish. I clenched my hand, feeling the uncomfortable heat, and let water flow down my clenched fist. When I opened my hand again, the flame was gone...finally. I gripped my shield again, moving forward.

Resa was...not here. I didn't know if she'd gone down the slope or not, but I couldn't sit down here, waiting. I looked around...more tunnels. Always more tunnels. I appeared to be at the end of one, however, with paths leading off to my left, and directly forward.

I took the forward option, advancing down the hallway. It was odd, not having my sister here as support...it felt lonely. Right now, not even the firekeeper mattered, or Lautrec, or Blighttown...I needed to find her.

Near the end of the path was a strange lizard...one I'd never seen before. However, Resa had mentioned a lizard before...the one that had put the strange crystals on her legs. I immediately was on my guard, my shield up and ready. If these things could turn people into stone, it wasn't about dispatching it quickly, it was about remaining unscathed. I could feel the adrenaline pumping again, from an enemy that was seemingly so weak.

It jumped forward, and I took a half step back. It reared its head back, a sack under its throat beginning to swell rapidly. That must have been the stuff...whatever gas was capable of the crystallization. I pushed myself forward, spinning about to dodge the spewing gas that followed. It was a dark gray, seeming to hang in the air where it was ejected.

The lizard turned to me, seemingly helpless. I lunged at it, taking careful consideration to avoid touching the gas. My claymore struck through it, leaving a heavy gash along its back. It retreated, skittering back, until it was surrounded by the gas it had emitted.

I paused...I couldn't go in there. There was no way I'd make it out. The lizard didn't seem particularly harmful besides for the gas. It hadn't tried to claw at me, or anything. It seemed the gas was more of a defense mechanism than anything else. Carefully, I backed away, trying to leave the lizard alone.

From further on down the tunnel, I heard the crackling of electricity, one that I'd heard several times before. I spun about, rushing down the tunnel, making a turn. There, I found Resa...she was safe. She was fending off a few rats, but it was nothing that she couldn't handle. As I approached, she skewered the last of them, looking up to me. The two of us ran forward, wrapping each other in a hug.

"How did you get over here? I waited for you to drop down next to me, but you never showed up."

She nodded. "I guess I just got lucky. I came down after you not too long afterwards, but I didn't seem to fall down the hole that you did. I saw this stairway leading down, and figured that's where you'd ended up. I came down looking for you and, well, you know the rest."

I turned around, looking down the tunnel. "I saw more of those lizards that you dealt with earlier. If we can avoid going down here, it sounds like a good idea. Did you see the gate?"

She shook her head. "I didn't look around much, this tunnel was fairly close to the front of the room. It might be there, I don't know." She looked up, down the tunnel. "Did you meet that guy?"

I looked down the tunnel again, immediately moving to hold up my shield. A man was running at us, in what had to be the most fearsome armor I'd ever see. It was black as night and covered his entire body from head to toe. I could see sharp barbs sticking out from nearly every angle, including his shield and sword. The sword was the worst of all, looking more like someone had welded together metal spiked than an actual weapon. "No, I haven't seen him before. Doesn't look friendly."

"Really? I would have never guessed."

The man approached, but didn't seem to want to fight. "I am Kirk, servant of the Chaos Queen Quelaan. Forfeit your humanity, or be prepared to fight for it."

Chaos Queen Quelaan? That sounded an awful lot like the Quelaana Laurentius had mentioned earlier. Perhaps this Kirk knew something about it. "We're actually looking for Quelaan, or Quelaana...whichever it is. Where - "

"Forfeit your humanity, or be prepared to fight for it."

I was taken aback, holding my hands up. I still had plenty of humanity from when I'd hunted down titanite, finding that the rats under the bridge were practically teeming with it. I reached in, pulling out one of the strange black sprites. I held it out, letting it dance in my hand. Kirk snatched it away instantly, before turning to Resa. "Forfeit your humanity, or be prepared to fight for it."

She looked towards me, and then back at Kirk. "I...I don't have any humanity."

"Then be prepared to fight for it." He thrust his sword forward, leaving it inches away from my sister's chest. "Hold on, I can give you one for her, if that's what you're after."

The sword turned to point at me before I'd even reached for another sprite. "Your humanity has been forfeited. You cannot supply for another."

I drew my claymore, holding it up at Kirk. "Listen, this will be easier for everyone here if I give you another. Nobody gets hurt, you get your humanity, and we can all be on our way, wherever that may be for you. Will you take it or no?"

"No."

I looked at Resa. She was terrified...to be honest, I kinda was too. This Kirk was brutal. Somehow, he'd snuck up on me, and it felt like the humanity sprites were the least of our worries.

I turned back to Kirk. "Then be prepared to fight for it."

I lunged forward, holding up my shield, and managing to knock the two of us back several feet. Kirk spun about, managing to get away from me, and started charging towards Resa. I followed up, managing to get a deep slash across his leg. Kirk fell to the floor, the wound momentarily stopping him.

"Your humanity has been forfeited. Do not interfere."

"I'm not letting you kill my sister. It would have been much easier if you just took another from me."

Kirk seemed completely focused on Resa...probably because she was his target, since I'd given a sprite. He charged directly at her, fighting past the wound I'd given him. I chased after him, my heavy armor slowing me down. Kirk got up to Resa, who was hiding behind her shield. Kirk dove forward, rolling past her, managing to cut her leg with the barbs of his armor in the process. She was too slow to spin around, and Kirk managed to get a deep slash in on her arm. The twisted metal of his sword must have been immensely painful, leaving behind a messy gash.

I finally caught up, getting a clean swipe in from my claymore. I put away the two weapons, reaching for my greataxe. Kirk wasn't concerned with me...I had no reason to play defensively.

As Kirk continued spinning circles around my sister, I tried in vain to chase him, but he was always just out of reach. Resa was getting heavily wounded too, if the myriad of gashed on her arm were any indication. I didn't know how much more of this she would be able to take at this rate.

Kirk dove forward yet again, but this time, I was ready. I swung my ax forward, satisfaction rolling through me as I felt the heavy head of the weapon connect. I carried the momentum forward, launching him across the tunnel, letting him careen into the wall.

I turned to Resa. "You focus on staying alive. He clearly doesn't want me, so I can get free hits in. Just...don't die."

"Sound advice, brother. Anything else? How about 'don't get hit'?"

"It would be a plus." I laughed, turning back to Kirk. He was rushing forward again, and I interposed myself between the two of them. He dodged to my right and I swung at him, though he rolled underneath it. I'd managed to let him slip by me again, as he closed the distance to Resa. I spun about, my greataxe managing to clip his back almost by accident. Still, it was enough to stagger him, and I followed it up with a thunderous overhead swing. This one wasn't by accident, as it practically cleaved him down the center.

Kirk fell to the ground, using his sword to prop himself up. "My Lady Quelaan needs the humanity. I will not be stopped." With a surprising surge of strength, he lunged forward, catching both of us by surprise. He managed to slip his sword past Resa's shield, the barbed blade ripping through her midsection. As Kirk fell downward, so did the sword, leaving a horrific gash in my sister's abdomen. The two of them hit the ground in unison, Kirk's sword and Resa's spear both clattering away from them.

I rushed forward, seeing my sister lying there, barely able to move. I looked down, finding the Estus Flask that she kept on her at all times, and wrenched it free. I held it up to her mouth, turning it back, letting the strange liquid pour down her throat. It was hard to tell whether it was working, but I let it go for quite a while. I kept a way eye on Kirk, who had yet to fade away into souls.

Suddenly, Resa coughed, the liquid sputtering from her throat. I set the Estus Flask down, holding her head. "Are you okay? You were gone for a bit there."

She leaned forward with my assistance, looking down at her body. Her wounds were healing back, the blood caking up on her skin. "Yeah. I'll be fine. Just give me a moment and - "

"My Lady Quelaan needs the humanity. I will not be stopped."

I spun around, watching Kirk reach for his sword. In one fluid motion, I took my greataxe, slamming it down on his arm. The limb split in two, his forearm immediately falling limp. "Your Lady Quelaan isn't getting it."

I raised my greataxe up again, letting it land on his back...lengthwise. I put every ounce of my strength into the swing, sending it crushing through him. He dissipated into souls right as my axe touched him, the heavy weapon landing on the ground instead. In his place were two humanity...perhaps one was my own, and the other was his? I wasn't sure, but I stowed both of them away.

I turned back around. Resa was getting up, her wounds all but vanished thanks to the Estus flask. I helped her up the rest of the way, until at last she was back on her own two feet. She looked up, leaning on her spear. "Is he gone?"

I nodded. "Yeah...I'm surprised he managed to sneak up on us like that. Hopefully we don't see him again."

"Well then let's get going. I...I think I need to take a breather at the bonfire. It still feels like I'm bleeding...on the inside." She clutched her stomach, as if some phantom pain crept up on her.

I looked around...I had no clue how to get back. When we'd slid down the slope, which was our only way back to the bonfire. "I'll get us back there. Just hang in there with me." I took her arm and slung it over my shoulder, helping her onwards. We went up a staircase, and out into a large, vacant room. At one end, I could finally see it...the gate. A set of heavy metal doors barred the way forward...we already knew they were locked, otherwise Laurentius would have been gone by now.

I looked around the room, seeing one more exit. I led Resa towards it, finding it to be a stairway upwards. At the end was a door, with a metal latch that was visible from this side. I opened it, revealing the room with the ladder. I turned to my sister. "All you have to do is get up the ladder, and you'll be at the bonfire in no time. Can you do that?"

She nodded, lightly gripping the rungs. Finally, we both made it up the ladder, and back to the bonfire. Gently, I set my sister down, letting her rest and recuperate. I couldn't tell what was wrong with her, and from the looks of things, neither could she. Hopefully some rest would heal her wounds.

With the spare time, I took a seat in the corner of the room. After a few idle minutes, I decided to pull out the pyromancy scroll Laurentius had given me earlier...if I've got this flame, I might as well learn how to use it.

The writing on the scroll was pretty simple, but it detailed more than just how to create the fireball. I learned how to bring back the flame, as well as snuff it out, at will. Unfortunately, it said nothing about being able to switch which hand it was in...it would have been nice to be able to use my shield at the same time, but I supposed that was a lost hope at this point. After a couple of tries, I managed to conjure my first fireball, lobbing it at the hollow that was standing guard outside. It burnt away almost immediately, the fire consuming it whole. A couple more tries, and I had the hang of it, being able to aim and conjure with little effort.

It was all a waste though...I didn't see a large use in the flame. This shield, the shield of the black knight, had served me extremely well thus far. I hadn't found a comfortable way to use pyromancy and the shield at the same time, and I had no intention of giving up the shield for a measly fireball.

Eventually, Resa had healed, with whatever damage Kirk did to her being healed off. The two of us departed, heading down the ladder, and back into the large area. As soon as we got there, I heard a crash.

I turned towards the gate...seeing it being closed. I could just barely glimpse a familiar suit of gleaming gold armor from behind the doorways.

My mind went into a rage, as I rushed at the door. "Lautrec!" I charged at the door, fully aware that I had no way to get to the other side. I took my greataxe, slamming it into the thick metal door, leaving a great dent.

Lautrec turned about, looking at me through a small peep-hole in the doorway. I could only see his strange mask, but it was enough to set me alight with fury. "Ah...I see perhaps you aren't as hopeless as I thought. I didn't expect I'd ever have to use the black eye orb, but perhaps I'm wrong."

I pulled out the orb, holding it out. "Is that what you think this is? Some sort of game? You murdered a firekeeper!"

He let out a chuckle...disgusting. "Why yes, I did. She was flawed and helpless...I would have been remiss if I let her carry on any longer."

Flawed, helpless...I barely keep from trying to break down the door, pointless as it would be. "I'm going to find you, Lautrec. I'll find you and I'll make you pay for what you did?"

"Why? Nothing you could possibly do could ever bring her back. You'd need her soul for that…" He sneered, before reaching into his armor. He pulled out a glowing, white orb...we'd seen one before, on the altar in the church. We still barely had a clue what to do with it, or even what it was. But now we knew...it was the soul of a firekeeper. "I'll tell you what. Since I'm rather impressed you've actually made it this far, we can go ahead and set the terms of our duel, should you ever reach it. I'll be generous and let you go first."

I looked at Resa...this was important, and I didn't want to say something out of blind rage. "What do you think. If that soul can really bring her back…"

"Oh, it can. There's more too it than that, and I'm afraid I've already said a bit too much. You won't be getting any more from me."

I scowled, seething with anger. "I want her soul, then. That's my term."

Lautrec laughed, carelessly tossing around the firekeeper's soul. "You wish for a life? Then I suppose it would be thoughtless of me not to request one of my own…" He wagged his finger between the two of us, until it eventually settled on Resa. "If I win, I demand you. You'd make a good servant. Perhaps a little frail, but you don't quite seem so unruly as your brother. Perhaps you could even carry my spare equipment...yes, that would be quite helpful."

"No. Absolutely not. You're not taking my sister?"

He held out the soul, practically dangling it in front of me. "Oh, and why not? The soul of a firekeeper is quite a precious treasure, objectively moreso than the life of an undead. The wager is in your favor, Flynn. I could demand more, if you feel we should even the odds."

"No!"

Lautrec let out a chuckle. "Then what seems to be the problem. Worried that you'll fail, and lose the only two women you've ever known? Or perhaps it's because her companionship is the only thing keeping you from turning into a hollow husk?"

"Damn you!" I slammed my fist against the door, a loud bang echoing through the room. I turned you Resa, who looked terrified. "I...you are far more important to me than her, sister. I can't risk losing you. If you're uncomfortable, we can - "

"No. Flynn, I know how important this is to you. I've been by your side, and I'm not leaving anytime soon." She turned to Lautrec, struggling to be seen through the peep-hole. "You've made a mistake, Lautrec. Now you've given both of us no room for error. You ought to be ready...we will be."

"Oh, I wasn't expecting that. You're quite feisty...not the best trait in a servant, but it could be worse." He turned back to me, the two of us staring eye-to-eye. "None of this will matter if you don't get your hands on the shiny little key that will open this door. I suggest you start by figuring out exactly where that is, otherwise this was a waste of my time. I'm off to Blighttown. Perhaps we'll meet again, Flynn."

With that, he turned about, walking away from the door. I slammed my fist again, rattling the entire gate. "We'll find you, Lautrec. None of this means anything if we find you before the duel."

He laughed. "Well, I suppose you're right. But first, you'll have to open that door. Have fun with that." He disappeared from view at that point, descending down, presumably to Blighttown.

I was seething with anger...I wanted him dead, and I wanted it now. I turned to Resa, hoping that she would calm me down, but I could see the same boiling expression on her face. "Alright. We're finding that key. Where do we start?"

She turned around, pointing to a hallway. "Besides the tunnels with the lizards, this looks like the only way forward."

"Then it's our way forward." I withdrew my shield and claymore, walking into the hallway, and down a staircase. On the other side was a room...the massive room that we'd seen earlier. We were maybe a floor or two lower than last time we were here, though with even more to go. There was a staircase downwards that I took, and we arrived on yet another landing. After exploring it for a bit, I found a final staircase down. This ended with an iron door, one similar to what was near the butterfly. I gave it a test, finding that I could lift it, but with great effort.

I turned around to Resa. "Stay back here, stay safe. If there's something bad on the other side, you can hit it with lightning spears. I'll keep it company." I peered through the slats in the door. "Given how big the room is, there could be a whole lot."

She nodded. "Stay safe, Flynn. I can heal you, too, if need be."

"I'm counting on it. I've tried the whole 'don't be reckless' thing...doesn't really suit me."

I lifted up the gate, ducking and going to the other side. It slammed down behind me with a loud bang, reverberating through the entire room. I could hear the footsteps of my sister as she ascended the stairway, climbing up to one of the landings.

I peered ahead, moving out into the room. Suddenly, from the back, a small head popped up...and then more...and then more. Two massive legs came up, each one twice my height...far too large to be carrying a body that small.

Next came the beast's midsection...absolutely horrid. I now understood why the legs were as large as they were. The underside of the lizard's belly was ripped completely open, with countless teeth protruding. It looked like some sort of mouth, the way it opened and closed hungrily. Two more sets of legs followed, carrying with them a lower abdomen. On top of its back were two sets of scaly wings, each of them with numerous holes in them. I'd be surprised if the beast could fly, given just how much weight the wings would have to support. Finally, a tail slithered out.

The beast crawled towards me, before it started bending backwards. It rose the front half of its midsection off the ground, rearing back to show how truly horrific the massive set of teeth were. Some of them were twice as tall as I was, maybe even three times...it was hard to tell. The beast moved closer and closer, quickly closing the distance between the two of us. It was much larger than the dragon we'd seen on the bridge...much larger. Perhaps this was a dragon too, in some strange way. The scales, the wings...it had all the features of a dragon, and yet somehow managed to look nothing like one. We'd run in fear from the last dragon we'd faced...that wouldn't happen again.

I marched forward, holding out my shield, and keeping my claymore ready to strike. With no other distractions in the room, I would have to rely on Resa quite a bit to try and occupy it. Given how large the beast was, I doubted it would be able to grab her if it wanted to. However, with six legs, it was a very real threat to me.

I tried to flank the beast's right side, getting in a few quick slashed on its side. Thankfully, my blade sunk in easily enough, the scales not providing some impenetrable armor. From overhead, I heard Resa's first lightning spear arc across the room. The dragon let out a massive roar as it impacted...it seemed that it didn't like lightning. I took the opportunity to put in several more swings, before backing off.

The dragon circled around towards me, its tail catching me by surprise. The swipe was quick, but the strength behind it was enough to send me hurtling off against a wall. I slammed into the wall, my eyesight momentarily going fuzzy, but I continued...I had to. As I charged forward, I could feel the wounds I'd just taken start to heal together, courtesy of Resa's miracles.

The dragon backed up as I moved towards it, it's speed greatly outpacing my own. Still, I charged towards it, until I saw a shadow over me. I had just enough time to throw myself to the side before the dragon's upper midsection crashed down, into the ground. It charged towards me, its entire body stampeding at me on three pairs of legs. I held up my shield, still on the ground, barley supporting myself as one of the legs practically crushed me. I held the shield upwards, fully aware of the tail that followed. As I'd predicted, it tried to swipe at me, colliding directly with my shield. I slid along the ground from the impact, through the water, until I arrived back at its first set of legs.

As I got up, so did it, as it folded itself back over again. The whole time, Resa had been pelting it with lightning spears, probably four or five by now, each one seeming to have a major impact on the dragon. It was hard to tell just how much, though, as I didn't see the first sign of blood...or anything similar, for that matter. I continued slashing at it, trying to find a blind spot between its rear sets of legs. It felt like I was making process, the slashes on its side certainly conveying that, and yet the dragon didn't seem remotely fazed.

The dragon crouched down, lowering itself slightly, before springing up into the air. I was knocked back by its legs, and sent clattering onto the ground. From this perspective, I could see it...flying, in the loosest of senses. It was flapping its wings, but I could tell that they were simply keeping it from falling faster than it was. The underside of the creature started moving towards me, and I scrambled to get back on my feet.

I wasn't fast enough. As soon as I got on my feet I heard a massive crash, as the dragon landed right in front of me. It's midsection came crashing down right afterwards, surrounding me on all sides by darkness. I threw myself to the ground, trying to dodge the teeth that I knew were coming, but I wasn't quite fast enough. I got caught by its outermost layer of teeth, my leg practically ripped in two from the excruciating pain that rocketed through me. I was launched into the air as it flung its midsection back, and its mouth was open and waiting for me. I couldn't change my trajectory, at least not meaningfully. There was nothing I could do that wouldn't end in me falling into the awaiting pit of teeth.

Well...perhaps there was. With a surge of power, I ignited the flame on my hand, letting go of my shield in the process. It slid off my arm shortly thereafter, and I took aim at the dragon. This pyromancy...this stupid pyromancy...it might be what saved my life. I created a fireball and lobbed it at the dragon, and then another, and then another. All three of them hurtled at the dragon, sliding right down its throat. With the help of a lightning spear from Resa, it let out a roar of pain...but it wasn't dead.

I was descending now, and I threw one last fireball at the dragon before extinguishing the flame. It wasn't going to die...there was no sense in trying. I threw my claymore downwards, before reaching for my greataxe. With all my energy, I tried to thrust the blade downwards, though the action was somewhat strange while in free fall.

Thankfully, I clipped one of its teeth, thanks to the extended reach of the axe. As I continued to fall downward, the axe rotated about on the tooth, which sent me swinging away from the dragon's mouth. I let go, my greataxe dropping down into the dragon's mouth as well. I fell to the ground, my entire body planting into the water.

As I got up, the dragon turned towards me, charging forward. I had nothing...both weapons I'd launched at the dragon, and I didn't have time to scour for my shield at the moment. All I had left was the pyromancy on my wrist...and whatever Resa still had. I lit up the flame once more, throwing a fireball into the dragon's mouth and then another. I could tell that the little flame was starting to dwindle...perhaps I couldn't do this forever, much like Resa's miracles. If that was the case, I had to use every last one.

I started backpedaling, now somewhat lighter on my feet with my shield and weapons removed, but not nearly fast enough to outpace the dragon. I threw one more fireball, the flame on my hand barely flickering about. From behind me, Resa threw another lightning spear. I'd lost count of how many she'd used at this point...she had to be running low.

I dove to the side as the dragon tried crushing me again. I got back to my feet before it recovered, scrambling backwards. I threw one more fireball down its throat, before my flame was completely extinguished.

That was when I saw it...my claymore. Somehow, it had gotten wedged between two teeth, protruding out from the beast's maw in much the same manner as its teeth. It was all I had left. From behind me, I heard Resa yell that she was completely out of spears...we were out of weapons, and out of time. I needed that claymore.

As the dragon tried to slam me yet again, I threw myself to the ground, watching where the claymore was going to land. My back hit the ground at the same time it did, and I felt around. There were plenty of teeth...too many, but I found the familiar leather grip, yanking it back into my hands. As the beast started charging forwards, thinking that I was trapped within its maw, I held the blade upwards, doing everything I could to keep it straight. The dragon charged right down it, cutting a thick gash across its underside that ran further and further the more it charged.

Once it was about halfway down, it stopped. Its entire body fell on my, practically crushing me, but only for a moment. It dissolved away into souls, which showered upon me.

I got up, moving to the gate. Resa was there, waiting for me, and I let her in. "That was...close. A bit too close."

She nodded, glaring at me. "Yes it was, Flynn. I know you aren't good at being careful, but can we please try to avoid swinging on a dragon's tooth in the future. You about gave me a heart attack...if undead can even have those."

We both chuckled. "I...yeah, I'll do my best. Now, I need to get my stuff. Hopefully the dragon didn't eat them beyond use. I really liked that axe."

I moved back to where the dragon had fallen, finding my axe lying there. It wasn't too worse for wear...nothing that couldn't be repaired at the bonfire. When I picked it up, though, something else hit the ground with a splash. It caught my attention, and I sifted through the puddle. I brought it up, holding it out to the both of us...a key. Somehow, the dragon had eaten it. "Well, it looks like we've got our way forward."

I searched about the room, finding my shield as well. I strapped it back on my arm, before turning to Resa. "So...Blighttown?"

"Blighttown."


	11. Chapter 11

**Flynn**

 **SL37 - 16 VIT - 10 ATT - 23 END - 27 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL37 - 16 VIT - 19 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 13 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 24 FTH**

 **Resa**

We left the room where we'd fought the dragon, returning back to the bonfire to recover from the fight.

My hand was in pain...more than I'd felt before. I'd never pushed the talisman to the limit before like that, and the only reason I'd stopped throwing lightning spears was because I couldn't muster the energy to throw another one. There was something oddly exhilarating about it, knowing that I'd pushed myself to the absolute limit. Still, Flynn had gone even further, risking his entire body, as well as pulling off impossible stunts. It was amazing he'd survived the encounter, in all honesty.

After we'd rested up, we returned back to the gate, where Flynn pulled out the key he'd just acquired. Thankfully, it slid perfectly into the lock, and the iron door creaked open.

On the other side, sitting against the wall, was...a man, though it was hard to tell if he was more or less insane than everyone else here. He was dressed in rather fancy armor with a peculiar golden mask, very out-of-place amidst the broken barrels he sat near.

As soon as he spotted us, he waved us towards him. "Aye siwmae, I heard ya talking to that bloke earlier, didn't catch his name. Anyways, congrats, you've made it to the entrance of Blighttown!"

I paused, looking the man over. I wanted to trust him, but after all we'd been through...face value didn't mean much anymore. However, he didn't even seem to be carrying a weapon. "Who are you, exactly?"

The man seemed to scramble around, even though he never even stood up. "Oh, I'm so sorry! My name is Domhnall, of Zena. Far out place, Zena is. Haven't been there in quite a long time. Anyways, I'm something of an...armorsmith, I guess you could say. I've been travelling this land, searching for incredible armor that I could recreate. I haven't found much yet, but I'm hoping someday I'll find something. Have to make the most of the situation, I suppose."

I nodded. He seemed innocent. "Well, I hope you have success on your journey, Domhnall. Do you have any sort of tips about Blighttown...we haven't heard much about this place."

He shook his head. "No, can't say I've ever been down in there. I've heard stories, and none of them are particularly good. Seems like a pretty nasty place...perhaps someday I'll work myself up to explore it, but no time soon. I've got quite a collection of souls from people browsing my wares...no need to waste them getting myself killed."

At this, Flynn's interest was piqued. "What do you have to sell?"

He turned around, sliding aside some of the barrels, revealing his goods. "They come from Zena, and they're quite unique. Crystal weapons, we call them. Extremely sharp, quite strong...but incredibly brittle. There's also no way of repairing them, at least none that we've found. In Zena, it keeps the peace. Nobody's wants to get into a fight because these pack quite a punch. Here in Lordan, from what my customers say, they use them when they want something dead, and fast."

Flynn shook his head. "I'm already carrying quite a bit, and I don't think I'm in need of anymore for right now. Thank you, Domhnall, and safe travels to you."

The man nodded. "You too. Perhaps I'll relocate soon. I don't seem to get as much traffic as I'd hope down here. I'm not particularly surprised...that dragon is quite something."

"You could try Firelink Shrine." I pointed, towards the staircase. "There's many people there, with more coming all the time. No doubt you'd have better luck over there."

Domhnall nodded. "Firelink Shrine...yes, that seems like a nice place. I'll see you there, then." He stood up, packing his things, and walked off towards the Shrine.

Flynn turned back, shaking his head. "Quite an odd man, but he seems friendly. Now, for Blighttown...and Lautrec."

We continued on, until we came to an end to the path. We walked through an archway, and into a large open tower. There was a small ring around the top, just barely large enough to walk on. There was an indent on the left, where I spotted a ladder heading down. I took a cautious step forward, looking over the edge of the ring. It was dizzying, parts of it being lost in the darkness. However, what I did see appeared to be a rag-tag collection of wooden platforms, hastily strung together with wood and rope. From up here, it was incredibly hard to tell just how stable it would be. However...Lautrec had threatened both of us now. If he won the duel, I was his for the taking, and I couldn't let that happen.

Flynn advanced, carefully winding around the edge of the tower until he was at the ladder. The two of us descended, until we were on the first wooden platform. "Seems stable."

I nodded, testing the structure with a few jumps and shakes. It didn't even budge, despite the shoddy construction. "Somehow, yes. If it's like this the whole way through, I'll be quite happy."

We descended another ladder, until we were now on a bridge, of sorts. Up ahead, I could see three ogre-looking figures. They each wore tribal-like garb and carried a large, wooden club. The first one turned to us, rushing down the wooden path, towards the two of us. Flynn stood his guard, pushing slightly forward, his shield ready to take the hits. The ogre slammed his club down, barely even breaking Flynn's stance. My brother retaliated, bringing his claymore upwards, leaving a large gash through the ogre's stomach.

I jumped into the fray, circling around behind the ogre, and holding up my spear. The fight against the dragon had shown me just how much I'd been relying on him to get us through this...I needed to do more. I lashed out, hitting the ogre in the back three or four times, each one letting forth a shower of blood.

Flynn swung again, his sword actually managing to pierce all the way through the ogre's back, near me. The ogre dissolved a half-second later, and we turned around.

"Well sister, if you're up for a fight, there's two more. You take the left, I take the right?"

I nodded. "Don't lose now. It'll be real embarrassing if your wimpy sisters kills it before you do."

He shook his head. "Like that would ever happen."

I rushed forward, a smile on my face, and a spear in my hand. The two ogres spun about, both of them moving towards me. Thankfully, Flynn drew one's attention away, leaving me with the remaining one.

I had to beat him...there just simply wasn't an option. However, I wouldn't be able to pull that off if I fought it head on. In that regard, I was no comparison to Flynn's might. However, I was at least somewhat nimble, and he was...clunky, as was the ogre. I'd have to find a way to use that to my advantage.

I drew the ogre over, to the edge of the platform. The footing was uncertain at best as I balanced right against the edge, utter blackness below. The ogre charged towards me, preparing for a very obvious swing. As soon as it got near me I dove forward, rolling underneath its strike, before popping back up behind it. Now, it was on the edge, but it was quite vulnerable...imbalanced. I struck it with my spear, putting all my weight into trying to push it forward. It flailed about, trying to regain its balance, as its feet slowly tipped over the edge. I withdrew my spear from its back, striking it again at the ankle.

That did it. Its left foot slipped completely off the edge, and its massive body quickly followed. It tumbled down, quickly disappearing into the darkness below. I turned around, watching as Flynn faced off against the other ogre. He swung at it, leaving a massive gash along its side, before he ducked behind his shield. The ogre's club struck the shield, bouncing harmlessly off, as Flynn delivered the finishing blow.

I clapped as I advanced, catching my brother by surprise. "Very well done...it's a shame that it's only second place though." I patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll get me next time."

"But...how?" He looked around, seeing no trace of my fight.

"Simple. It's a big bumbling fool, not too unlike you. I let it throw its weight towards the edge of the platform, and then knocked it off. Now, depending on how tall the tower is, I suppose it might not be dead yet, but...it's close."

With that, Flynn moved until he was directly in the center of the platform, giving the edges a wide berth. "I call foul play. You didn't kill it, you let it kill itself. That's different...somehow."

"Now now, don't be a sore loser. It's not very flattering, dear brother."

"Fine. Good job."

I smiled, the two of us walking down the pathway. At the far end I could see a hole cracked open in the side of the tower, as the shoddy pathway continued on. We followed it down, along the path. Further along, we ran across even more creatures...not quite the same as the ogres. These were smaller, about my size, but carried a myriad of different makeshift weapons, or none at all. They charged at us, each one trying to get to us first, in some sort of strange race.

I backed up behind Flynn, as he pushed forward to meet them. With one sideways arc of his sword, two were felled on the spot, with a third being knocked down. As he readied to take out the third, a fourth jumped up, grabbing onto his back, and pulling the both of them down. I lunged forward with my spear, knocking one off of him, sending it down into the depths below. With a kick, Flynn did the same to the last remaining one.

As he was standing up, I felt a strange prick on my neck. I felt at it, pulling out a sort of blowdart. At the same time, I was starting to feel weak...extremely so. I looked towards where it had come from, seeing a strange little creature. It looked like its face was covered by a wooden board, as it ducked down behind some cover. In its hands I could see a blowgun, poised and ready for another strike.

I motioned at Flynn, pointing at it. "It's...oh gods." I collapsed onto the ground as my vision descended into blackness. I wasn't dead...I was just so weak, I might as well have been. At least, it seemed like that.

When I awoke, I was next to a bonfire...a different one than before. When I looked around, I saw I was on a stone structure now, far, far too high up in the air.

"Well good...you're awake. I wasn't sure what happened to you, but I thought I was going to lose you. I took out that little wooden guy, and saw a bonfire. Once I lit it, you were here. How are you feeling?"

My head was still fuzzy, but I was recovering. "Better. Those darts...I think they're toxic. I couldn't see for myself, but we've dealt with patients exhibiting similar symptoms."

Flynn nodded along. "Is there a cure. I tried giving you your Estus but it didn't seem like much of an improvement."

"Well, we always used moss back in Thorolund. We found that they soaked up the toxins quite well. There were probably some in Darkroot Garden if we looked for them, but that's a bit too far away at this point." I paused, thinking a bit before continuing. "For a toxicity of that strain, the clumps probably need to have bloomed. They're more potent, but even harder to find."

Flynn nodded. "Hold on one second. There's actually a stash nearby. I thought it was strange stuff but if it can cure you, it's worth bringing."

He departed, moving to a ladder at the edge of the stone bridge. I looked around...we appeared to be far above a swamp of some sort, though it was a bit hard to see the details from up here. What I could see, however, was more of the wooden pathways. They seemed to travel the entire length, from where we were now, all the way to the floor.

Flynn returned, holding three clumps of moss in his hand. "Alright, I guess we have to make these count. Are you ready to go?"

I nodded, still a bit lightheaded. "Yeah. If you see a dart, you have got to block it with your shield. If we only have three of those, that won't last us very long if we aren't careful."

We continued on, along the labyrinthian pathways of Blighttown. The place was practically infested with the smaller brutes, dozens upon dozens of them attacking us on our journey. We came across one more of the blowdart shooters, Flynn managing to shield us until we were able to take it out. As we pressed onwards, it seemed that we were approaching another tower of some sort. The wooden construction led up to brick walls that had been torn apart, leading inside.

One of the entrances had...well, it was hard to look at, and even harder to make sense of. It seemed to be some sort of gigantic parasite, suckered up next to the tower. Its abdomen was swollen and distended, whatever it was feeding on clearly plentifully supplied. Flynn saw it too and decided to steer clear. We climbed up a ladder, spotting another blowgun shooter at the top.

Before we'd even gotten off the ladder, it had already put a dart into Flynn, immediately starting to retreat. That was the worst part about these...they ran whenever you got close. I chased after it, down into the tunnel, throwing my spear right before it tried to round a turn. The spear caught it and knocked it down, and I advanced on my prey. I ripped the spear out, puncturing it twice more before it dissipated.

I turned back to Flynn, who had fallen to the ground. I retrieved one of the clumps of moss, feeding it to him. "It won't taste good, but it'll taste better than going through this hell all over again."

He took it, and started chewing on it. At the same time, I cast a miracle, hoping to restore whatever strength he'd lost. When I opened my eyes he was standing up, his claymore thrown over his shoulder. "Well, I didn't expect it to act so quickly...not that I'm complaining. How are you feeling?"

"Much better. You're right, that's some strong toxin. Hopefully we aren't running into too many more of those nuisances."

We continued onward, ducking through the broken wall, and into the tunnel. Whatever light managed to make it this far down was no all but gone, the tunnel a murky darkness that I could barely see through. Flynn snapped his fingers, conjuring up the pyromancy flame that Laurentius had given him in the sewers. A soft glow enveloped the two of us, the light of the fire expanding outwards. "I guess this is useful for something…it's not much, but it's all I've got for now."

"Flynn, I'm not complaining."

We continued around the tunnel, until we came to a ladder downwards. It was hard to see what was at the far end, but I could hear a noise...a sort of sucking sound, quite revolting. The light momentarily faded as Flynn dropped down the ladder, and I followed him down. Before I even reached the bottom I heard Flynn slip, followed by him sliding downwards.

I hurried down the ladder, and onto the ground...only to suffer the same fate. The ground was slick with sewage as we both tumbled down, until I ran into Flynn. He was swinging his sword forward, trying to cut some unknown target.

"It's...it's that parasite from earlier. I can't get forward."

He swung again, cutting off one of the tentacles keeping it pinned to the wall. He kept going, cutting away more and more, until eventually it was dislodged from the wall. With the obstruction out of the way, we continued our slide down, falling out back onto more wooden planks.

I brushed myself off, glad to be back in the light. Flynn stood up shortly thereafter, turning to me. "That thing...that was disgusting. Not quite as bad as the mucus blood in the sewers, but a close second."

"The what?"

He shook his head. "I fell in some when we were separated. Not a good time." He looked around, kneeling down to pick up a piece of paper. I walked around, the two of us looking at it together.

To me, it looked like complete gibberish. The letters were all there, but they simply didn't make sense. However, Flynn continued staring at it, long after I had.

"You can read that?"

He looked up, holding out the paper. "Yeah...you can't?"

I shook my head. "I recognize the letters but not the language."

He nodded. "It...it appears to be some sort of pyromancy, 'Power Within'." I haven't put together the details yet, or how to perform it, but next time we're at a bonfire maybe I'll take a look at it. 'Power Within'...seems like a nice thing to have."

We continued on, wrapping back around, and re-entering the tunnel at a lower point. This time, our time was much less eventful, just a simple ladder downwards and we exited. There were even more ladders...gods, I was sick of ladders, leading downwards.

From here, we could finally see the bottom of Blighttown...and smell it. It was rancid, like spoiled meat, filling the entire air around us. I could see mosquitos buzzing around, though they were the size of my head. As we continued down the ladders, we ran into a new type of foe...one I could barely even describe. It looked like a cross between a mosquito, a spider and a rotting corpse, all packed into something the size of a horse. It had small wings, too small for it to be able to fly, as well as four legs and two arms. Its face, plastered on the front of it, was barely recognizable, despite the fact that it had a somewhat noticeable mouth.

"Alright...that about ties the mucus blood. I still might have to give it to the mucus blood as most disgusting, but this one's a toss up."

"Good to know. Can you get rid of it?"

"With pleasure."

He charged forward, swinging his claymore towards it, slashing its front. White blood, or something similar, poured from the wound, as the abhorrent creature retreated. Another one came rushing forward, climbing over the first. I hurled a lightning spear at it, catching it and sending it flying backwards. The first one rushed forward again, closing in on Flynn. As it neared, it reared back, tensing up...until fire started spewing from its mouth. Flynn brought up his shield to try and weather the storm, the fire dissipating a short moment later. He followed it up by cutting it down, letting it dissipate.

As he pressed forward, I held up my talisman, casting a miracle. It was hard to tell just how much the flames had done, but they no doubt needed tending to, and I could see more of the strange creatures up ahead.

Flynn cut down several more, as I followed along behind him. I picked a couple off with lightning spears, trying to make sure that he didn't get swarmed by the abominations. As I pressed forward, Flynn called out to me. "I see a blowdart over there. I can't get to him, can you?"

I looked around, eventually spotting it. It was quite a fair ways away, and was mostly concealed around the wooden planks. It didn't look like it was concerned with us yet, simply standing idly by. Still...these had been our largest threat so far, and I wasn't about to do this whole trek again. I reared my hand back, conjuring up a lightning spear, and hurled it at my target. Before it even hit, I conjured another one, sending it flying the same direction. The first spear struck the dart shooter squarely in the midsection, sending it flying back against a wall. The second one tore right through it, bursting the creature into souls as soon as contact was made.

Up ahead, Flynn had cleared out the last of the abominations, turning back towards me. I followed down the ladders, the two of us meeting where I'd taken out the dart gunner. There, lying on the ground, was a corpse. It wore a darkened leather set, with bits of metal at the knees and elbows for protection, along with a hood. In one hand was a curved sword, splayed out.

"You've been staring at that an awful long time, sister. What's on your mind?"

I looked down at my own robes, before back at the garb before me. "I think it's about time I get out of these. They're baggy and impractical...I can't say I'm a fan of the tight pants, but nothing says this has to be permanent. Also, what's that weapon?"

He knelt down, picking it up. "Appears to be a falchion. Not exactly my taste, but it would feel quite different from a spear. Are you wanting to give it a try?"

I nodded, taking it from his hand. "The spear hasn't served me well in close range, and I've got my miracles to deal with ranged targets. This looks like it will be better suited to getting people off of me."

"That it would. Here, give it a few practice swings, see if you like it. I can carry it for the time being if you're on the fence."

I held it out in front of me, my left hand gripping my shield. It felt strange...the center of weight was closer to me than the spear, allowing me to pivot easier. I gave it a few swings, finding the weight quite satisfactory. It was hard to tell what it might do to an enemy, but it felt right in my hands. "I'll hold onto it for now."

I began disrobing the corpse, trying to get the armor off of it. Thankfully, it had shriveled enough that it wasn't much of a challenge, and eventually I had it all off. Unlike the armor set that Flynn had found, the one resembling Oscar's, I was able to fold it up and carry it on my own. "Alright brother, keep me safe. I'm not going to be doing much swinging until we've gotten time to drop this off. Hopefully there's a bonfire somewhere nearby...I'd rather not have to look at any more ladders."

"You and me both, sister."

As we were now at the very bottom of Blighttown, the ground was clear. It was...a liquid, of some sort, but it seemed to be what caused the rancid smell that permeated the area. As I took one step into it, moving towards one of many stone pillars dotting the floor, my foot sunk down into the mud beneath. My movement was heavily impaired, doubly so with the excess equipment that I was carrying, making every step feel like a challenge.

The liquid...it felt wrong. It definitely wasn't water, but I could just feel this itching sensation crawl up my skin every step of the way. I couldn't exactly place what it was, but I knew it couldn't be good.

Once we got to the pillar, Flynn pointed forwards. "There's a tunnel in there...I think I can spot a bonfire. Come on, let's get out of this mess."

The two of us continued on, one more trek across the swampish bed of Blighttown, until we were back on solid ground. As we ducked into the tunnel, there was indeed a bonfire. As Flynn held out his hand to light it, I took a look at my lower legs, inspecting just what had happened.

I'd seen this before...it seemed that my time serving as a healer was going to prove useful here. The bog was poisonous, whatever liquid was on the ground heavily contaminated from decades, perhaps even centuries, of waste. It had eaten away at some of my skin, what was left looking like a light burn. Had we been in there for much longer, it could have pierced the skin and gotten into our system, which would have stuck with us for longer than either of us would have liked.

* * *

 **Flynn**

As Resa took a seat at the bonfire, I explored the sewer tunnel we'd stopped in, giving her a chance to change into her new garb. The tunnel was pretty large...about as large as where I'd seen those strange lizards in the sewers. They were likely connected, through some means. I moved down through the sewers, eventually arriving at a large, cistern-like area. There was a ladder on one side, leading down into the base of the cistern...with a lone, unopened chest sitting in the far side.

It was ominous...painfully ominous...but I wanted to know. I moved around, dropping down the ladder, and onto the base. As I advanced towards the chest, I held up my pyromancy flame, dimly lighting the area. I moved my claymore about, gently, trying to see wires, ropes, something. The chest...sitting here, in an otherwise empty room. It simply seemed too suspicious.

Oddly, I found nothing. Not a single trap, nothing even remotely suspicious. I even checked the chest itself, looking for some sort of trap to be waiting just under the lid, and yet found nothing. With all options exhausted, I took my claymore, sliding the tip of it in the crack of the chest, and flicked it open.

Nothing...the chest simply opened up. Still cautious, I peered forward, inspecting the contents. Inside was a singular stony slab. It wasn't titanite, at least none that Andre had described, but with the sturdiness it seemed to exhibit, it looked like it could be a good crafting material. I picked it up, moving towards our bottomless box.

Resa had changed into the new outfit, waiting for me by the bonfire. It was strange, seeing her in something besides the baggy cleric's garb we'd found in the asylum. I couldn't say the new garb suited her all that well, with it being black and...moody, I suppose. Still, it gave her a much better range of motion than she was use to, which she'd need if she was going to be wielding the falchion.

After I stowed away the stone slab, I turned to her. "Alright sister, are you ready to go? We haven't seen Lautrec down here yet...perhaps he's close."

She nodded, throwing her falchion over her shoulder. "Be careful of the ground around here. It's poisonous. Try and give yourself plenty of time to wash it off before getting back in. I'm not exactly sure where to go from here, but we could keep going, see what's around."

I nodded, the two of us heading out of the sewer. We took a right, going further down the base, being careful to avoid the liquid as often as we could. There were more of those abominations...I didn't really have a better name for them than that. None posed much of a threat, besides the fact that the were near the liquid.

Eventually, we made it further on, standing near one of the stone pillars. To our right was a sort of...machine, however primitive it was. A water wheel spun about, several wooden platforms rotating around it, allowing for someone to go up or down as necessary. I couldn't see much of where it dropped you at up top, but it seemed like it could be our way out of this hellish place, once we were done here. In the back of my mind, I still remembered the Bell of Awakening. It had taken a back seat after Lautrec, but it was still down here, supposedly. We might as well ring it while we were in the area.

Up ahead, past more of the stone pillars, appeared to be some sort of nest. Thick webbing burst forth from the far end of the bog, several strange protrusions sticking out of it. Standing on the webbing were more of the ogres we'd seen far, far above. Unlike the others, these were carrying boulders around, as if they were standing guard. At the back of the webbing I could see a hole, like a tunnel leading inwards.

I pointed it out to Resa. "Let's try and head down in there. There can't be that many more places to find down here."

She turned, shaking her head. "Oh yes Flynn, let's go explore the most obviously dangerous place we've seen thus far. That sounds like a wonderful plan!"

I sighed...she had a point. "Sister, the previous Bell was guarded by the gargoyles. This one might be too. We've come all this way, and I know we're searching for Lautrec...but we can't forget about the reason we came to Lordan in the first place."

"You're still holding out that Oscar might not see us as mere pawns in his game?"

I nodded. "I have to believe that somewhere, deep down, he's still the good man that rescued us from the Asylum. If ringing the bell gives us answers, then I'll do it."

She nodded, silently. "Alright. Then let's go. Please don't try and fight anything here, it's too dangerous. Once we're in the tunnel we can tend to whatever wounds or poison needs tending to."

"Then let's go." I moved, towards the pillar, trying to jump across as much of the poison as I could. On the far side of the pillar was one of the abominations, which I quickly engaged. I swung my claymore outwards, cutting a thick gash through it, and followed up with another downwards strike. As it dissipated into souls, I turned, crossing another bit of the poison, towards another pillar. This seemed to have a bit more space around it to operate, letting us get even closer to our target.

As we got to the edge of the land, I looked to our left. Two more of the ogre stood around, boulders in hand, though they hadn't noticed us yet. Worst of all, there was no more short jaunt between us and the next land. On all sides we were surrounded by the poisonous liquid. I looked at Resa, pointing across. There was another pillar, likely our closest option. "Get get there, and we're safe. If any boulders come flying our way, I'll try and take the hit. Now, let's go."

The two of us took one step into the bog, our feet immediately sinking down into the mud. With my heavier armor, it was all I could do to simply take one foot out and plant it in front of the other. Thankfully, Resa was having slightly less trouble, though even she was severely slowed down by the bog.

I looked to my left, seeing the ogres that had now spotted us. I kept pushing onwards, about halfway there now, as one of them started charging directly for me. It rolled its boulder in front of it, getting ready to plow right through me. I held up my shield as I continued moving, my legs starting to burn from the poison, but I wasn't about to stop now. Resa had gotten to the far side, apparently oblivious to the dangers around her. She'd be alright...I knew it.

Right as I was within spitting distance of the land, the boulder hit me. I went flying across the bog, likely a good fifty feet, until I crashed down onto the ground. It hadn't hurt that much, as my shield had somehow absorbed the shock, but it couldn't keep me from being launched. I stood up, brushing myself off. I was by a pillar now, completely surrounded by poison. The three ogres that had been guarding the entrance now had spotted Resa, though there was no chance they'd be able to get to her by the time she was safe. I took the opportunity, sprinting across to a nearby pillar.

As I dove back into the poison for one last run, Resa slipped into the tunnel, and into safety. The ogres were still occupied, their boulders too large to fit down the tunnel, and yet they still tried smashing it down. Once I made it to the edge of the web, they turned towards me, abandoning their previous target.

Thankfully, here, I had cover, in the form of the odd spikes jutting from the webbing. As one boulder was launched at me, it shattered apart on the spike. I kept going, using the natural cover to my advantage, until at last I was safely inside the tunnel.

Resa was there, already pulling out some of the moss. I knew I needed it...my legs burned, and my insides were starting to feel like they were when I'd been struck by the dart. I chewed on it, the bitter taste already starting to alleviate the pain in my lower half. At the same time, Resa began casting a miracle, tending to the wounds that I'd taken.

We rested for a bit, taking time to recover, now that we were finally in a safe position. The inside of the tunnel was...strange. The web-like surface now completely surrounded us on all sides, and egg-like sacs now consumed the top half of the tunnel. As we advanced down, we eventually came upon two strange undead. It seemed as if the eggs had taken root inside them, filling their backs with a web-like growth. I approached them cautiously, my shield and claymore at the ready.

Resa took her hand, lowering my weapon. "Flynn, look at them. They're hardly hostile, assuming they even know who and what they are. I think we can leave them be."

I nodded. "Yeah...it's just after all this mess, I can't trust anything anymore."

"Flynn, you never trusted anything to start with."

I sighed, and yet nodded. "Fair point."

We continued forward, until eventually the tunnel widened...drastically. We'd now reached the floor of the area, based on the stone tiles that we now walked on. The webbing still formed the walls and ceiling, and countless many egg sacs now stood above us. At the far end, a small staircase led up to a broken down building. Next to it, a large crater, somewhat resembling a tree trunk, burst forth from the ground.

I was cautious again, my shield up and my claymore drawn. I looked back at Resa, her talisman in hand, ready for combat. As we moved further into the cavern, I could feel a slight rumbling beneath my feet, growing stronger the further we went. Eventually, it got to the point that the whole room seemed to be shaking slightly. I stopped advancing, retreating back towards Resa, my shield held strong.

After a few moments, a creature burst forth from the crater, the spider-like legs evidence enough that it was the creator of this tunnel. More and more of it came out, four legs, then six, then eight...and then ten. It easily had a couple dozen eyes on the front of it, and its entire body seemed like it was glowing red hot. Strange fur grew on its back half, a stark contrast to the fleshy growths on its front.

Strangest of all was the completely bare woman atop the creature. At first, I thought she was riding the beast, but that wasn't quite right. She didn't have legs...or I suppose she had ten of them. Her body ended from the waist down, fusing into the spider's body. In one hand she held a strange sword...it looked very similar to the spider's body, perhaps its stinger.

I backed up, the creature advancing slowly towards me. Oddly enough, it...she...she seemed right. She didn't appear immediately hostile. Rather, it felt as if the woman was eyeing us up, gauging just how much of a threat we might be.

"Have you come for my Bell? You shall not have it!"

I shook my head. For some reason, it felt that she wouldn't attack us...so long as we didn't put her off. Next to me, Resa was still taken back, her talisman tightly gripped in her hand. "I suppose so, but it's not our main goal. We're searching for someone, Lautrec of Carim. He murdered a firekeeper...I wish to avenge her death."

At this, the woman seemed almost surprised. She lowered her sword, letting it rest on the spider's back. "Many people have entered my domain. Describe him."

This time, Resa spoke before I had a chance to. "Golden armor, with arms wrapped around the torso. Strange helmet with many holes. We've been tracked him to Blighttown, but we haven't found him here."

The woman nodded, a wave of disgust washing over her features. "Yes, I faced that one. He reeked of death...I should have guessed. I bested him once, but you undead are relentless. He returned shortly thereafter, and I couldn't stop him." She turned to me, the spider lowerings its body a bit as she leaned forward. "Tell me, what will you do when you find this Lautrec?"

I reached around, pulling out the black eye orb. "He issued us this duel. If I best him, and whoever he has with him, I want the firekeeper's soul. He said there was a way to bring back firekeepers using their soul...I want to know how to do that."

She nodded slowly. I was still very much on edge...but I was becoming less so with each passing moment. "Tell me, what is your name?"

"I am Flynn, and this is my sister Resa."

"I am Quelaag, daughter of the Witch of Izalith. Flynn, I do not wish to hinder you progress. That man, Lautrec, deserves to die a most horrible death for what he has done. He has rung both bells, which likely means that he is moving to Sen's Fortress...I do not know much about the place, other than that it is connected to the church."

I nodded, fully lowering my guard at this point. "We'll find him, you have my word. I've been told that a firekeeper is a rare and precious thing...I can't let one's murderer run free."

At this, Quelaag looked behind her, pointing to the door. "Find my sister. She is beneath the Bell. She is a firekeeper, but is very ill. I've been doing everything I can for her by taking the humanity I can from those that seek the bell, but she is still so weak. Help her, please."

"I...I will."

Quelaag moved around, getting out of the way of the stairwell. "Then go. Ring the Bell, and move to Sen's Fortress. And when you kill Lautrec, come to me. I know how to bring back the firekeeper."

"Thank you, Quelaag."

With that, she skittered around, moving back to the crater, and climbed down it. The two of us began walking forward, to the staircase at the rear of the room. "Well...that went much better than I expected."

I turned to Resa, nodding. "I'll be honest, I thought we were going to die. Come on, let's go, and get out of this mess."

We moved upwards, and through the doorway. On the far side was a circular room, a small hole in the middle, with the Bell positioned above it. Like before, a small lever was right beneath it. The two of us moved towards it, our hands grabbing it in unison.

As we pulled it, the Bell rang out, a haunting echo bouncing through the hallways. Unlike before, this didn't feel like a major accomplishment...it was simply a means to an end. There was still plenty more to do, and resting on our achievements wouldn't get us there.

I looked around, finding a stairway leading down. I followed it, wrapping around until we were now underneath the bell. The room was practically infested with eggs, dotting the walls and ceiling almost entirely. On one end was a hallway, the eggs continuing further. I moved down, until I was stopped by one of the egg-infested undead from before.

The man looked up, immediately retreating. "Quelaag said you would come. Please, meet my Fair Lady." He was slow...incredibly slow, as he dragged the growth on his back forward while on his hands and knees. Eventually though, he was out of the way, and I moved forward.

What I saw nearly broke my heart in half on sight. Quelaan, I assumed, was there. She looked quite like her sister, including the spider body. However, Quelaan was pale...ghostly so. Her skin was a sickly white, as was the spider's. Her hair had also turned a pale white, draping down over her form. I could tell that she was sick, and likely had been for longer than I'd been alive.

She looked up, a weak smile gracing her features. " _Quelaag said you'd come. Is there something you'd like?"_

Her voice...it was like it was in my head. Her mouth barely moved as she spoke...it was all very confusing. "Why are you here? Why are you sick?"

" _Blighttown use to look far worse than it does now, at least I hope. I've been trying to drain the poison from it for as long as I can remember. It's left me like this. Quelaag's gifts of humanity have kept me alive for longer than I'd care to think, as do my loyal servants."_

"Servants?" I turned around, pointing at the egg-ridden man. "Like him?"

At this, Resa turned to me, confused. "Flynn, you can hear her? She hasn't said a word since we've been here."

"No, she...she's been speaking."

Quelaan looked at me, gesturing. " _Hold out your hand...tell me, where did you acquire this ring?"_ She pointed at the strange ring I'd had, with the odd markings.

"It was a gift...part of my promotion in the military, back in Thorolund. I don't know where it was found."

" _That is an old treasure of Izalith. There are very few that can hear me, and all of them have a connection to Izalith in some way. Anyways no, Eingyi is my servant, but not like the rest. People have formed a covenant, an organized effort to keep me alive for as long as possible."_

I felt for her...I couldn't deny it. What she's done, and what she's doing...it was pure selflessness. On top of that, she was a firekeeper...the lit bonfire in the center of the hallway was evidence of that. "I want to help. Quelaan, let me join the Covenant. Here…" I reached around, searching for the humanity I'd collected a while back. I pulled out a lot...not all of it, but the vast majority. "Lordran needs more people like you. Please, take this, and get better." I held out my offering to her.

She took it, holding the humanity out in front of her. They practically soaked into her, acting on their own volition. For a brief moment...it seemed as if she'd healed slightly. A bit of color returned to her skin, and the spider body behind her actually seemed to darken as well. However, it only lasted a moment, before she returned to the pale figure she started as. " _Oh...that cures the soul. Thank you, Flynn. I see no reason why you shouldn't be part of the Chaos Servants. Tell me, do you use pyromancy?"_

I held out my other hand, sparking the little flame to life. "Not much, but a man gave me his flame as a thanks for rescuing him. It has served me well."

Quelaan nodded. " _As a thank you for your offering, please, use this."_ She held out her hands, placing them on either side of my head. Suddenly, it felt like she was simply pouring knowledge into my head. I knew things that I didn't know before...a new way to twist the flame. " _Chaos is a powerful force. May it serve you well. Now please, rest at my bonfire until you are ready to depart."_

I nodded, turning back to Resa. Now...we both were members of a covenant. Me, and the Chaos servants, and her, with the Warriors of Sunlight. It felt right...there was a sense of responsibility associated with it. I thought back to Kirk...he was a Chaos Servant, it was obvious now. Still, I wouldn't become like him. Undead shouldn't be seen as humanity, ripe for harvesting.

I looked at Resa. "Let's take a break here. It's been a long day, and Sen's Fortress is going to be a bit of a hike. Sound good to you?"

She nodded, taking a seat at the bonfire. "Absolutely."

 **School has begun. I'll keep my 7-day cycle going for as long as I can before projects and whatnot get in the way. Still, I'll keep to a 14-day cycle no matter what.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Flynn**

 **SL39 - 18 VIT - 10 ATT - 23 END - 27 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL39 - 16 VIT - 19 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 15 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 24 FTH**

 **Resa**

It was strange...Flynn had joined a Covenant. One very unlike mine, from what I little could tell. The Warriors of Sunlight were tasked with protecting the weak and helpless. What Flynn had joined...it was hard to tell. I hadn't gathered much from his conversation with Quelaan. Somehow, he was able to hear her speak, and yet I could hear nothing. He'd pointed to the ring on his finger, the one he'd gotten back in Thorolund. It was odd, but I wasn't willing to rule it out as having some strange magic effect that let him talk to a spider woman.

I motioned to my brother, wanting answers. "Please, explain to me what just happened. I'd like to be kept in the loop here."

He nodded, a hint of excitement crossing his face. "She leads the Chaos Servants. It's...well, I guess I should explain what she does. You know the poison bog at the bottom of Blighttown? It use to be much, much worse. She's been draining it, into herself, for probably longer than we've been alive."

"And that explains why you gave her so much humanity...how?"

"Because she's dying! She's been dying for years, Resa. Probably even centuries. Humanity can act as a source of life, and right now, that's all that can heal her. She's doing good...better than I can say I've done. I want to protect that."

I nodded. It seemed I was wrong...we weren't so different. Flynn's efforts were focused on Quelaan, keeping her alive. Meanwhile, mine were far more broad. At the end of the day, however, we were still helping people. "So what was that at the end?"

He held out his hand, the pyromancy flame flickering to life. She gave me a pyromancy, as a symbol of her thanks. I...it's strange. I feel like I know it, like I know everything about it." He snapped his fingers, the flame dancing about. "And yet somehow, I can't seem to use it. I can still cast the fireball Laurentius taught me. It's going to require some work on my end, but I'm sure I'll figure it out."

"I know it's likely very different, but there might be some relation to how I learn my miracles...assuming I catch up with Rhea at some point. If you learn anything, let me know."

"Will do, sister. Are you ready to head out? I'm not looking forward to it, but we've got to get to Sen's Fortress."

I stood up, grabbing my falchion. "Then let's not waste any time. I don't know where we'll end up when we get out of here, but I think out best bet would be to just keep going up."

The two of us departed, walking out of Quelaan's tunnel. From there, we exited, going back through where we'd seen Quelaag. She was...curious, to say the least. I wanted to trust her, but she clearly had approached us with the initial expectation that we would fight. It was a person we'd have to play around, that much was certain.

As we exited the tunnel, and back out onto Blighttown, we were back in the poison infested waters we'd just waded through. Our target was off to our left, where the strange rotating platforms led up above. Flynn was the first to act, charging down the webbed terrain, and straight towards the poison waters. Not far away was a pillar, just enough land to get him to safety. As he ran, he grabbed the ogres' attentions, all three of them turning to face their suspected prey.

I had to make a move, and fast. I rushed after my brother, leaping into the bog as soon as I was at the base of the web. Just as Flynn reached the first pillar, a boulder soared just over his head, shattering against the pillar. I ducked behind my shield, dissipating the impact. Flynn bolted to the left, towards another pillar, as yet another boulder just narrowly missed him. I trailed behind, relatively invisible to the ogres as my brother drew their fire.

Soon, both of us made it to the second pillar, now charging directly towards the wooden structure. The pillar provided us some much-needed cover, blocking a third boulder lobbed at us. We made it to the base of the structure relatively quickly, climbing our way onto one of the platforms. It was strange, being able to see Blighttown from above the floor, more and more of the bog coming into view the higher we went. Eventually, we reached the top, getting dropped off onto an all-too-familiar wooden platform.

From there, our ascent out of Blighttown was simply more of the same. The ladders were at least more dense now, sometimes one after the other as we made our way up and out. There were more ogres at the very top, like the ones we'd seen at the very beginning, which we dispatched with little trouble.

As we got up the final ladder, we emerged into a natural tunnel, leading off and away. We took a breather in the corner, all of the ladders winding both of us.

"I'm going to be honest, we could never go back there and it will still be too soon."

Flynn nodded, glancing towards the ladder. "Yeah...but we're going to have to. Quelaag said she'd know how to bring back the firekeeper. At least we won't have to go through the whole place again, assuming this tunnel leads out to somewhere reasonable. Also, I think I'm sitting on something." He stood up, turning around. Sure enough, there was yet another key, hastily tucked away in the corner. He looked at me, holding it up. "I'm telling you, I've got a knack for finding these things. Hopefully this will help us get out of here."

We sat for a few more minutes, letting ourselves recover before continuing on. We pressed onwards, out of the cave, having to cut down a few more of the ogres in the process. I was starting to get use to the falchion...I liked it. It allowed me to stick closer to my enemies than I could before, and gave me much more versatility in how to approach the situation. It wasn't long ago when the thought of rushing up to targets would have made me quiver with fear...this land has certainly changed me.

Finally, we emerged from the tunnel, and out into a sort of ravine-like area. There was a thin pathway on both sides of the ravine, and I could see a bridge not too far away. Most notable, however, was the stone wall at the far corner of the ravine, with a heavy metal door at the front. I pointed it out. "What do you think the odds are we just found the door to our key?"

"I'd say pretty high. Seems like a good lead, if you ask me." The two of us advanced, carefully navigating the thin pathway, until eventually we made it across the bridge, and to the door. Thankfully, the key slid perfectly into place, the door opening up with a sickening creak. On the other side was a stairway, leading downwards.

"This doesn't look like any place I recognize, Flynn. I'd rather not go running off somewhere new now that we're so far away from a bonfire."

He turned around, pointing to the end of the ravine. It kept going, wrapping around a bend. "The other option is whatever's down there. So far, the keys we've found have always taken us in the right direction. I'm willing to trust that this one does the same."

He had a point...the only key we'd found that wasn't useful was the one that had taken us to fight the stone man at the base of the tower in the settlement. Even then, Flynn had still acquired a ring, one that let him carry far more than any man should. It wasn't unreasonable to think that this one would lead us in the right direction as well. "Alright. Lead on, Flynn."

He descended the spiral staircase, wrapping around a short ways until we were at the base of what looked like a massive cavern. Far in the distance I could see the remains of some sort of town, with several buildings now lying decrepit and broken. Around us, however, were undead. All of them had clearly hollowed, wearing nothing but rags, and were simply...lost. Some stared off into the distance, some sat on the ground, while another swung its rusted dagger at the wall. This place...it was a place of lost souls.

"Alright Flynn, we need to get out of here. Let's try and find some way up...it looks like we're underground, so the church must be above us."

He nodded, both of us fanning out away from the ruins. There was a busted down doorway along the back wall of the place, and I found a staircase leading up, winding around. At the top was...a pit. I peered down it, finding nothing but utter blackness, with even more blackness above it. To the side of the pit was a lever, similar to the ones we'd seen by the bells. I pulled it, unsure of what might happen.

I could hear rumbling coming from above...far above. I looked into the pit, seeing something descending from above. It was hard to tell what it was, other than the fact that it was moving fast. I got out of the way, letting the strange ceiling descend down. Eventually, it made it to the bottom, coming to a harsh stop right out ground level. On the sides were three chains, each of which ascended up to the darkness above. In the very center of the disk was what appeared to be a pressure plate.

From behind me, I could hear Flynn approaching. "I heard movement...wanted to make sure everything was alright."

"I think I've found our way out of here...though I can't be too sure. It goes up quite a ways, which is a step in the right direction."

"Well then it's worth a chance." Flynn advanced, the two of us moving to stand on the elevator. I put one foot on the pressure plate, letting it sink beneath my weight. Suddenly, we started ascending, being pulled up by the chains surrounding us. The ride wasn't too long, until eventually we were face to face with another doorway. This time, rather than be greeted by darkness, we were met by a familiar sun...one we hadn't seen in quite some time.

"This place looks familiar...we've definitely been here before." Flynn continued on as I followed after him, walking up yet another staircase. Indeed, this place was familiar...we were back at Firelink Shrine. Based on the broken cage in front of us, this was where Flynn'd first met the firekeeper, which meant that the bonfire was just up ahead. We advanced, finally back at the bonfire.

The two of us took a seat, finally relaxing near the warmth of a bonfire. We hadn't even been gone from one for that long...and yet something about this just felt better. The warrior was still sitting there, as was Griggs. However, now, Laurentius had finally made it back, now also sitting around the bonfire. Flynn turned to me, looking at the pyromancer. "He said something about strengthening my flame...I think I'm going to talk to him about it."

"What changed your mind about pyromancy all of a sudden? Before you said you didn't even want to have a flame, and yet now you're wanting to strengthen it?"

"Well...it's like you with the lightning spear. It was a gift that you got from your covenant...it would feel wrong if I took this gift and simply hid it away, you know? And, since it seems like pyromancies are the same as miracles in the sense that we can't use them as many times as we want to, I think it's best that I improve my flame."

I nodded. "That makes sense. Alright, go talk with him. I'll see if I can't figure out where Lautrec went."

As Flynn moved over to the pyromancer, I walked back to where I'd first met Rhea, since they were the closest to the steps leading to the church. When I got there, however...she was gone, as were Petus and his two bodyguards. What I did find, however, was a small note, written on a white piece of cloth. The color matched Rhea's garb quite well...at least what I could remember of it. I picked it up, squinting to try and read the small words scrawled on it.

" _We've left for the Catacombs, to the left of the Shrine. I still don't know what we're looking for, but I feel less safe than ever. Please, find us as soon as you can._

 _Rhea of Thorolund"_

The Catacombs...I hadn't heard anything about them, even though they sounded quite near to us. I wanted to go and find them, now...but I knew I couldn't. Flynn had been tracking Lautrec for so long now, and it felt like we were nearing the end of that hunt. As soon as we had finished, however, I would go find her.

I turned back around, walking back to the warrior. He'd been around since the very beginning...perhaps he would know. I approached him, taking a seat. "Have you seen that man again? The one in the golden armor, that we were asking about last time?"

He looked up from the ground, as if just now acknowledging my presence. "I...he might have come by some time ago, perhaps. It's so hard to...remember." He looked up, scanning around the area. He held out a hand, pointing in the direction Petrus and Rhea had been. "He was over there. Came from where you came from. The rest...I just don't know."

I knelt down, looking him in the eye. "Are you feeling okay?"

He nodded, though it was far from convincing. "Yeah...it's just that this place has never quite been this busy before. There was some other person that showed up, wearing strange clothes and a stranger mask. He felt like it was a bit too crowded here too, and moved to beneath the sewers...maybe he's onto something…"

He must have been talking about Domhnall...I hadn't thought about the fact that I never noticed him when we first arrived. I turned back to the warrior. "Please...stay safe. You've helped us more than I think you realize."

With that, I stood up, searching for Domhnall. Flynn was still talking with Laurentius, both of their flames held out. It seemed like I had plenty of time. I advanced towards the undead settlement, finding the hollows that guarded the entrance to the sewers extremely easy to dispatch, even without Flynn. Off to the right, I could see Domhnall. He was resting beneath the sewers, on a horizontal support structure. From what I could tell, it didn't seem like there was any direct way over.

I moved as close as I could to the stone platform, sheathing my falchion. With a running start, I flung myself off the edge, my body hurtling towards the platform. Thankfully, I'd built up enough momentum, my feet managing to land safely on the ground once again. Still, I had to grip a supporting pylon to keep from tumbling off of the far end...the platform wasn't that wide. Once I was safely to a stop, I carefully navigated the rest of the platform, having to wrap my body around the remaining pylons. Thankfully, the new garb that we'd picked up at the base of Blighttown helped with that, fitting close enough to my body that I didn't have to worry about it snagging on anything.

Finally, I'd made to the end, where Domhnall was seated. He looked up, almost surprised to see me. "Aye siwmae, glad to see you back here. Didn't expect for you to come meet me, though, but I can't say I'm put off."

"What are you doing out here? What good is running a shop if you're too far away from any customers?"

"Well, I figure I might move out to the center from time to time, but it's nice and peaceful out here, you know? Anyways, what can I do you for?"

I took a seat, leaning against the supports. "Well, I was mainly coming over to see if you made it safe, but if you've found anything interesting then I'm interested."

He rifled around, pulling out a key. Unlike the others we'd found thus far, however, this looked different. I tried intently to focus on the end, but it kept shifting about. It was impossible to pin down. As soon as it felt like I knew what it looked like, it immediately looked like something else.

"I see you noticed it as well. I found it tucked pretty far out of the way, and had to take it. I can't tell you exactly what it does...but it's pretty easy to see that it'll be something special."

I nodded, still transfixed by the shifting key. "If you're willing to part with it, I'm sure it'll be of use to us on our travels." I held out my hand, ready to trade the souls we'd collected to him. I felt the slight drain as they were brought out of me, moving to Domhnall. In exchange, he handed me the key, which I tucked away.

"Pleasure doing business, Resa. Perhaps I'll go exploring sometime soon. I've yet to find a suit of armor that strikes my fancy, but I'm hoping I'll discover one soon."

"I hope you do too, Domhnall. Stay safe." With that, I slinked back around the platform, leaping back across to the mainland. Once I got back, Flynn was waiting by the bonfire, now simply idly chatting with Laurentius. Once I got close, he looked up at me, moving away from the pyromancer.

"Get any good leads?"

I nodded, pointing to where the group from Thorolund had been. "It's likely he moved up to the church, which matches what we'd expect. Also, Domhnall made it back safely, but he's set up shop a little bit away. He did give me this, however." I pulled out the key, still marveling at the way it kept changing shape. Flynn drew closer to it, just as transfixed as I was.

"That is...well, I'm not quite sure. It looks impressive. Does he know what it does?"

I shook my head. "No, but I'm willing to bet it will help us out at some point. Tell me, what did you learn with Laurentius?"

Flynn let out a light chuckle, holding out his hand. Suddenly, his flame sprung forth...I could tell it was different somehow. It seemed more intense, though that might have been my imagination. On the outside, it looked no different than before, and yet it felt like I could sense a slight aura of power emanating from it. "It's stronger...I can feel it in my very core. Laurentius said that there's even more that could be done, but I need to collect more souls to feed to it. I saved a few, of course...we're going to Andre after this, and I think it'd be a good idea to refine our equipment a bit further."

That was true...I'd completely forgotten about that. Flynn had picked up the green titanite shard while we were in the sewers, and we still had the ember we'd picked up. Andre would be quite happy to see us again. "Well then let's go. I think we've done everything we need to around here."

As we moved towards the elevator that took us to the church, I thought about Griggs...the one person we hadn't met with. He was still there, and still alone. His...Master Logan, if I remember correctly. We still hadn't seen anyone that matched his description yet. I still had hopes that we would run into him, though there was still a writhing doubt in my mind that perhaps he could have been one of the many hollows that had lost their way.

Eventually, we made it back to Andre's tower, hearing the old blacksmith working away. As we descended down, we were met with the bonfire, or better yet, the lack of one. In the corner, the bloodstain Lautrec had left had nearly dried up, but it still reminded us of why we were doing this. I could tell it put Flynn on edge as well, the way he was tightly gripping his weaponry. I held out a comforting hand, reaching for his shoulder. "Don't worry, Flynn. We'll get him. I know we will."

He nodded, though barely relaxing. "I know we will. I just wish we could settle this now, rather than chasing him through half of Lordran until he finally feels like he's found the perfect spot for our 'duel'."

"There's not much we can do about it, though. Let's try and get through the Fortress as fast as we can and hope we meet up with him."

He nodded, the two of us descending down, to the level Andre was on. As soon as we were in his vision he smiled, stopping his work to greet us. "Well, I was starting to lose hope on the two of ye. Tell me, what brings ye back here after so long?"

Flynn stepped forward. "We've been...busy, to say the least. But first, we found another ember we were hoping you could identify." My brother pulled out the ember we'd found in the depths, extending it. Without any hesitation, Andre snatched it up, inspecting it.

"Well, this is a mighty fine thing, isn't it? There doesn't seem to be any special properties to it, besides the fact that it's the brightest flame I've seen in ages. Are ye giving it to me?"

"You're the only one that knows how to use it, so please, take it."

Almost greedily, the blacksmith took it, moving over to the forge. He spent a few moments with the ember, until at last he was satisfied. He placed his hammer in the strengthened flames, letting it heat up. "With that, yer weapons will be able to absorb even larger portions of titanite, should ye find any. As I said last time though, haven't seen any in ages."

Flynn smiled, pulling out what he'd found in the sewers. In one hand was a large piece of the titanite, and in the other was the green titanite he'd picked up. "Actually...we have. Are you willing to put them to use?"

Andre marveled, cradling the titanite like it was a child. "I...I won't ask ye where ye got this. I'd rather not know than get killed searching for it. Yes, I'll use them now, as soon as the hammer is heated. What'll it be on?"

Flynn held out his greataxe, the massive weapon clunking to the floor. "The titanite will be on this. As for the green…" He turned around to me.

I extended the falchion. "I'd like to turn this into a holy weapon, if that's possible. I didn't understand your explanation on titanite, but Flynn said that it can be done."

"Indeed it can. Here, hand them over, and I'll see what I can do. I'll provide ye with what titanite I've got around, free of charge. It's the least I can do for ye bringing my forge life it hasn't seen in ages."

I nodded, taking a step back from the forge, allowing Andre to do his work. Flynn did as well, taking a seat next to me. After a few minutes of heating up his hammer, he first started working on Flynn's greataxe, bringing the massive weapon to his anvil. Surprisingly, the blacksmith seemed to carry it with much more ease than I would have suspected...I suppose working in a forge for ages must have its benefits somewhere.

Next, the titanite. Andre brought out the first piece, smashing it, and letting it be absorbed by the steel. The process repeated several more times, as more and more of the titanite was brought into the weapon. There was a lustrous glow about it...I could tell that it was becoming much stronger.

Finally, he brought out the large titanite we'd found in the sewers. With a heavy smash, the shard exploded, dust scattering about on the heavy blade. Almost as quickly, however, they were drawn back in, the weapon now looking far more refined than it had before. It was almost as if the blade had sharpened simply by contact with the titanite...the transformation was much more potent than it had been previously.

With a nod, Andre lifted up the greataxe, offering it back to Flynn. "This will serve ye well now, lad. Bring me more of that, should ye find it. There's more that can be done there...I'm sure of it."

The blacksmith then took my falchion, setting it on the anvil. He repeated the same process, crushing titanite against the small blade, allowing its power to seep into the steel. Again, this went on several times, as more and more pieces of titanite were imbued into the weapon.

Finally, he picked up the lone piece of green titanite we had, looking up to me. "Resa, it's been ages since I've worked with this titanite before. I can't say that I guarantee success, all I can say is that I'll aim for it."

"And I expect nothing more, Andre. If it fails, we'll find more and try it again. This is a learning process for all of us."

He nodded, letting out a chuckle. "I suppose that's a fair point. Well, let's see if old Andre's still got what it takes."

With a mighty smash, he brought the hammer down on the titanite, shattering it into pieces. As the titanite was absorbing into the weapon, he lifted it up, taking the blade over to the ember, holding it out above it. "As I said, green titanite is a catalyst. I don't remember everything, but I know ye needed to bathe it in the flame. Hopefully this'll do the trick."

He waited there for a few more minutes, letting the light blade soak up the fires from the divine ember. Finally, he removed it holding it out. "I can't say that I sense much of a difference...but it's been quite a long time since I've spoken with the gods. Perhaps ye can get something out of it."

The blacksmith held out the handle of the blade, offering it to me. As soon as I gripped it, I could immediately feel a difference. It felt as if I was gripping the cloth of my talisman...the divine energy radiating from the blade was unmistakable. How to use and channel it however, was an altogether separate challenge.

I looked up at Andre. "I can feel it, don't worry. The divine power in this is undeniable."

The smith smiled, returning to his anvil, and reaching for the blade he was working on. "Well, is that all I can do for ye, or is there something else ye came here for?"

Flynn nodded, recalling the reason we'd actually stopped by. "We're looking for Sen's Fortress, and we've been told it's near the church somewhere. We were hoping you'd point us in the right direction. Lautrec escaped there."

Andre had barely picked up his hammer before dropping it down again, stopping his work. "Yer still after Lautrec? I can't say I'm too surprised. Well, the entrance to Sen's Fortress is right above ye. I can't say much, never been in there, but it's dangerous. More dangerous than what ye've seen so far, without a doubt. Ye be careful."

"Do you know what's in there? Why would ringing both bells open the door to this place? There has to be something on the other side."

"I can't say, sadly. I know it exists, not much else. I know undead like ye have gone hollow trying to reach the top. Please, don't end up like that. Ye've got a purpose though...that should carry ye through."

I nodded. "It will, Andre. Thank you for the help."

"Don't mention it. And if ye ever get yer hands on more of that titanite, ye know who to come to. There's more to be done there, I'm sure of it."

We nodded, Flynn and I turning to move back upstairs. As much as we'd tried to ignore the upper floor...it seemed that this would be where we started. There had always been another doorway here, leading out to a closed gate. However, when I peered through the doorway this time...the gate was open.

"This must be the entrance to the Fortress. Are you ready, Flynn?"

My brother looked down at the bonfire, permanently extinguished. "It doesn't matter how hard the challenges ahead are, we'll best them. We have no other choice."

"Then lead the way, and I'll follow it."

Flynn set out, advancing towards the foreboding stone walls that marked the entrance to Sen's Fortress. As we neared the gate, I could tell that there was a sort of entrance area, with two rows of stone pillars on either side of our current path. It was dark past that, the end of the area shrouded in just enough darkness to make it hard to see.

As soon as we passed the gate, two strange figures came rushing at us, emerging from the shadows. They were humanoid...mostly. Instead of a human head, they had the neck and head of a snake, as well as scaly skin. This neck, on top of the fact that Flynn's head came up to their shoulders, made them an extremely imposing duo, as they rushed right towards Flynn. In their right hands they wielded a massive curved greatsword, and in the other a beaten-up wooden shield. My brother took a step back, readying his shield as well.

I circled around to the side, hoping to catch one of them by surprise. Soon, they were both upon Flynn, the black knight shield that he'd been carrying with him all this way being brought up to support the weight of two greatswords at once. Flynn pushed the swords away, retaliating with a swing of his claymore.

I swung around from the back, letting my falchion cut into an unarmored leg of the serpent. I followed up, two more quick swings raking against the scaly hide. I did enough to draw its attention, the serpent ignoring Flynn to turn about and face me.

Now, when face to face with the massive greatsword, I was starting to reconsider my actions. I rolled to the right, narrowly avoiding a mighty swing from the weapon, spinning about to cut into it yet again. The divine power within this weapon...I needed to figure out how to use it. I focused on the curved blade, envisioning my talisman. The two tools were so different...and yet now. My talisman had originally been used as a tool of healing, yes, but it was undeniable that I had thrown far more lightning spears than I had healed Flynn or myself. In truth, the two tools served me nearly the same.

I swung my sword horizontally, envisioning myself pulling back and throwing a lightning spear. If the two tools were so similar, then surely they should be used in a similar fashion. My logic was correct, my blade starting to emanate a wispy white aura around it, the blade shifting about from this divine strength. As it sliced through scales, the wound cauterized immediately...not a single drop of blood spilled. The serpent let out a hiss of pain, or so I assumed, further evidence that I had done what needed to be done.

The serpent swung at me again, but it was far too slow. I dove, sliding around to its right side, before springing back up to my feet. I launched myself off of one of the pillars, flying through the air towards the serpent. I was becoming far more nimble, and I felt like it wasn't just the lighter garb. It felt right, being able to weave around the combat like this, rather than being in the center of it like Flynn.

As I flew past the serpent, I left another gash across its chest, my blade still burning bright with the power of the gods. As I landed, I spun about, managing to catch its leg. It stumbled, now that both legs were injured, but it still stood strong. I took a moment to look back towards Flynn, seeing that he was managing the other serpent perfectly well. Without the two of them there, he could easily guard against the one, and retaliate when necessary.

The serpent rushed towards me, getting ready to slice me in half with its sword. I dove again...though this time I was slightly too late. The blade caught my shin, cutting straight through to the bone. Searing pain raced through my leg instantly, and I knew that there was no chance that I'd be able to support my weight. Swiftly, I dropped the falchion, reaching for my talisman that was at my side. I had to roll out of the way, towards the serpent, avoiding an overhead slash from his blade.

As soon as I could, I formed a lightning spear, launching it at the serpent. It caught it underneath its long neck, sending its head flying back, staggering the creature. I took the moment to heal myself, casting another miracle from the talisman. As my wounds immediately began to heal, I forced myself up onto my good leg, having to remain on my knee for the time being. The serpent rushed at me yet again...it seemed that it was far more durable than I would have thought. However, I could see that it was on its last breath, both legs stumbling to support the creature. In one swift motion, I reached for my falchion, holding it high over my shoulder. I imagined a lightning spear...and then treated it as one. I threw the blade forward, towards the serpent's neck. The aura still sheathed the blade, white wisps lingered in the air as the falchion cut right through the serpent's defenses, right into its chest. I pulled out my talisman, ready for if there was yet more to do.

Thankfully, there wasn't as the serpent clattered to the ground. As it dissipated, I looked over towards Flynn, who had his serpent on the ropes as well. With one final strike, it fell, both of them dissipating into souls at the same moment.

"Not too bad, sister. Seems you've figured out how to use the divine weapon."

I nodded. "It was easier than I had expected...but the results are indisputable." I picked up the blade, the aura finally died down. "It's stronger than I would have expected. I'm actually a bit excited seeing how far it will be able to go."

He laughed. "And now you know my fascination with titanite. It's a little stone that turns a weapon into so much more. Now come on, let's get going."

We continued on, side by side down the passageway between the two sets of pillars. Only a second or two later, I heard a slight shift beneath my feet. I looked down, seeing the faint outline of a pressure plate. A moment later, I felt pain - searing pain, in my chest. I looked down, seeing a bolt the size of my blade there. A second later, and another one struck me. My vision started fading, quickly. A second later, and I felt a third bolt rip through me, my vision fading to darkness.

When I eventually came back to my senses, we were back at Firelink Shrine. Flynn was at my side, a wave of relief washing over him when I opened my eyes.

"What happened? I didn't even get a chance to see what happened?"

"I stepped on something, it must have triggered a trap. I...that's all I know." I stood up, stretching. "I'm good to go. Surprisingly, death feels like a powernap."

We headed back, up through the church, and towards the tower. As soon as we reached the second floor, we both paused by the dormant bonfire. Lautrec...he'd done this. Without him, we'd be here, and not all the way back at the Shrine. It was fuel for the fire, a fire that had been burning for far too long.

"We're going to get him, Resa. I promise."

"And when we do, you aren't the only one that's going to want him dead."


	13. Chapter 13

**There was an error trying to upload this to the site, I tried several times and the document simply wouldn't upload. Seems everything's good now.**

 **Flynn**

 **SL42 - 19 VIT - 12 ATT - 23 END - 27 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL42 - 17 VIT - 19 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 16 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 26 FTH**

 **Flynn**

This was our fourth attempt through Sen's Fortress...it still felt just as impossible as the first. We'd managed to get a bit further in now, but the traps inside were still more than I was able to handle. Resa had started to get the hang of them a bit, her relative nimbleness let her be a bit more forgiving. It didn't matter however...I was always caught, and almost always killed.

We trudged down Andre's tower again, having to pass by the unlit bonfire yet again. Lautrec had to know this...he had to know that this was going to be a challenge for me. It was part of his plan, if I had a guess. Still, I couldn't let him win, not now. It would invalidate everything we'd done thus far, and I couldn't let my own self-doubt cause that.

As we approached the entrance to the Fortress, we immediately set our plan into action. I rushed forward, being careful to stay clear of the pressure plate in the middle of the floor. I waited, patiently, until the two manserpents had noticed me. Thankfully, the guards of the place weren't aware of how their own traps worked, and didn't seem to pick up on it when they were brought back to life. I took a few steps backward, waiting until I felt my foot sink down into the plate. With my shield up, I watched in amusement as the two manserpents were shot down, the first two spears of the trap felling them instantly. I prepared for the third spear, waiting as it ran directly into my shield, falling to the ground.

I turned back to Resa. "Alright, let's keep going. We'll get this...we have to."

"You should be telling yourself that, brother, not me. I haven't been the one that's put us at the bonfire." I could tell she was annoyed, and she had every right to be. For once, I was the one that was slowing us down, and it was as horrible as I'd imagined. I had to press on...I had no other choice.

We continued into the Fortress, where things were truly horrific. There was one lone pathway down the center of the Fortress, with water on either side. Barring our way were five swinging axes, each one with a blade capable of knocking you clear off the pathway. I'd already experienced what was down in the water...it wasn't much better. Halfway across the platform was one of the manserpents, ready to charge at us. Unlike his comrades, this one was at least aware of the swinging blades, being careful not to get sent flying by one.

Perilously, I took a step onto the platform. It was pretty wide...wide enough that I would feel comfortable, if it weren't for the death traps littering the temple. I started walking forward, towards the first blade. I was scared - no, terrified. If I messed up again, I couldn't live it down. Resa was counting on me to be able to do this, and thus far I'd been an embarrassment.

I lunged forward, stepping past the blade while it was out of the way, now trapped between two of them. After a few more seconds, I cleared the second one, and then the third, and the fourth. The fifth was near the end, behind the manserpent. It was just me and him now...I'd gotten use to fighting him. The swung heavily, but it left them wide open. Thankfully, the monsters down below weren't too picky on what they were served, and had happily eaten him up on our last attempt. I intended to give them another feeding now.

As the serpent charged towards me, I held up my shield, prepared to block its swing. I did so, steel clashing against black steel, the serpent's guard now wide open. I swung my claymore, catching it in its midsection, throwing its center of balance off course just enough. While it was vulnerable, I struck it again, but this time with the flat of the blade. It collided against his shield with a resounding smack, as I carried the momentum through. First, one foot was sent off the ledge, and then the other. As he tumbled down to the depths below, I crouched down, having to regain my balance. I clutched the platform, practically splayed out on the ground.

"Are you just going to sit there, or are you going to keep going?" Resa hopped over me, gracefully landing right in front of my face. From there, she continued on, barely having to wait before crossing the fifth and final axe.

I stood up, regaining my balance. I continued forward at a much slower pace than my sister, cautiously approaching the final blade. As it rose upward, I lunged forward, crossing the threshold. From there, it was a simple walk to the end of the pathway, where my sister was waiting. "Resa...please be patient. I'm doing everything I can not to have to do this again."

"Flynn, take off some of this armor, and it might not be such a problem for you! I'm not doubting your abilities, just your choice in apparel."

I...I wasn't expecting that. I looked down at my armor, the metal that I'd become so accustomed to. It was strange...I felt like it was a part of me, and I didn't want to get rid of it. Still, she was right, it was hampering whatever mobility I had. "If we return to the Shrine again, I'll put on something lighter. For now, though, it would only be worse if I carried it with me."

"Fine." She continued on, wrapping around the path we were on, until we were now at the next pathway. This one had four more axes, though the space between them was much less. There was another serpent, though this was different than the previous. It was capable of shooting small clouds of lightning, though they weren't nearly as potent as Resa's spears. With one of her own, she carefully threw it through the four axes, catching the serpent right in the face. It was knocked down instantly, though it wasn't quite dead.

My sister immediately lunged forward, narrowly dodging the first two swinging blades. The final two were nearly back to back, causing even her to falter for a bit. Still, she dove through both of them as soon as there was an opening, now face to face with the serpent. At close range, it was fairly defenseless, and she was able to carve it up with her falchion.

Meanwhile, I'd just made it past the first blade, trapped between the two. After a few careful steps, I made it across, now staring at the final two. I couldn't do these one at a time...there simply wasn't room. I waited for an opening, but couldn't bring myself to move. I was terrified of failing...terrified of letting Resa down yet again.

After another opening, I dove, throwing my entire body through. I felt my foot get caught by the fourth blade, but thankfully I'd made it across enough that it didn't matter. I crawled forward, making it off the platform and back onto solid ground.

For once, Resa didn't say anything, simply moving on. Perhaps she was so put off with me, or perhaps I hadn't let her down that time. Whatever the reason was, it didn't matter.

We approached the next room, this one quite less dangerous than the previous. We were on a small platform, leading to the end of the room. Beneath us was another track, rounded out as if water could run through it. Oddly enough, it stopped rather abruptly at a wall, with a dormant manserpent resting against it. We hadn't bothered him before, and we saw no need to now. Resa continued ahead, stopping at another manserpent blocking the way out. The serpent turned to her, drawing back its blade.

We'd seen this before...it didn't end well for the serpent. As soon as its blade was near Resa's shield, a massive boulder crushed it, sending the serpent flying off into the distance. She immediately bolted, rounding around the curve, charging up the ramp to our next destination. I got up to the doorway, looking out. The track the boulder was on wasn't too different from the one we'd just passed, being curved at the edges. Perhaps they were meant for the same purpose, though I hadn't seen any boulders go down the previous track before.

Once the next boulder whizzed past my head, I too began charging up the ramp. It was the only way forward, and yet it seemed like I was gambling with certain death trying to get past it. Just as I was getting close to the doorway, I saw the next boulder appear, beginning to tumble down from the top of the slope. I pushed myself even harder, trying to get up the the entrance. I slipped in just in time, the boulder just missing me as it mercilessly plowed down the slope.

I was panting...I didn't think I would make that one. We were nearing the end of what we 'knew'...our previous attempt hadn't made it to the next room. After that, we were blind. I hoped Resa would calm down. For once, it was her that needed to act more careful.

My sister continued forward, moving on to trigger the pressure plate that had killed me previously. She walked backwards, her shield ready to take the spears that would come flying at her. I moved forwards, spotting the trap. "You guard your front. I'll make sure these aren't a problem for you."

"Good idea, Flynn." She turned around, now facing towards the next room, while I blocked the trap with my shield. A couple seconds later and the three spears were launched, all of them harmlessly bouncing off my shield. From the next room over, I could hear fighting, and rushed to help. Thankfully, the traps seemed to only trigger once per attempt, as I felt myself step directly on it in my rush to assist my sister.

When I got to the next room, she was face to face with another manserpent. Thankfully, she was handling it quite well, the divine power that now flowed through her falchion making quick work of the scaled beast. Still, I assisted, wrapping around to the back of the serpent, and plowing into it with my claymore. Instantly, it dissolved into souls, as I sheathed my weapon.

I could hear rumbling coming from the next room, getting louder with each passing second. I turned around, walking across a small hallway, stopping when it opened up again. On the other side was another slope, complete with the rounded edges. The rumbling made sense, as a boulder crashed through a second later. It slammed into the wall, and then another, continuing down the slope, and to the bottom.

I turned back to Resa. "Up or down? Which way seems best to you?"

For once, her previous bravado was now momentarily paused...it was understandable that she wasn't as confident when dealing with the unknown. "If we can't see the top, then I'd say we go down. I'd rather try and follow the boulder rather than charge into one. We'll go after the next one hits."

We waited a few seconds, as the rumbling steadily grew louder. A few moments after that, and the boulder crashed into the wall again, sending us both into motion. We ran side by side this time, chasing the boulder down the stairways. I was completely oblivious to everything else, my sole focus being to keep up with Resa as we ran down the slope. It rounded several more times, giving us a chance to catch back up the boulder, before it plowed on ahead of us. Finally, we came down to a flat part, a wall directly ahead of us, and a boulder-sized hole right in front of it. Thankfully, there appeared to be an alcove on our left, which both of us dove into as soon as we were close enough. The boulder ran into the wall, dropping down into the pit beneath it.

We stepped into the room that was adjacent to the alcove, looking around. The room was fairly cluttered with numerous broken statues...statues that vaguely resembled the black knights we'd seen thus far. Near the back of the room was a simple wooden chest, almost out of sight. On the left side of the back wall, I could hear the faint sound of mechanics rattling about.

I walked over to the chest, throwing open the lid. As soon as I did so, two sets of razor sharp teeth emerged from the chest, the lid shaking on its hinges. I was thrown back, lying prone on the ground, as the chest continued to warp and change. Spindly arms and legs now sprouted from its base, the chest rising to stand well over seven feet tall. In one hand it held a spear...though I could tell that there was something different about it compared to the one Resa used to wield.

The abomination lunged at me, chest-turned-mouth biting at my legs as I was pulled up into the air. Resa immediately sprang into action, likely taken back by the sheer shock of seeing a wooden chest come alive. She hurled a lightning spear at it, catching it on the underside of the chest. From where I was, I could barely get a good angle, but I still swung my claymore wildly, trying to hit something. I managed to graze against its arm, though the damage was minimal.

For me, however, the exact opposite was true. I was practically being eaten alive, now waist deep inside the chest, continuing to be sucked into the bottomless hole in its mouth. My legs felt like they were being melted, a pain unlike anything I'd experienced thus far. I had to fight, before I was down.

I tossed my claymore out of my hands...at this point, it was in the way more than anything else. I took each hand and put it on the two sections of the chest, trying to pry myself out. The inside of its mouth was fleshy, despite being made of wood. I pried the maw of the beast wider and wider apart, desperately trying to free myself. I started to hear the cracking of wood...I must be doing something mildly productive, at least.

I thrust my arms out again, hearing more splinters form in the chest. I was retreating, now, able to pull myself up high enough that I could at least move my legs. Still, my knees and below were still trapped, being dissolved by whatever machinations were at work. With another lightning spear, Res hurled it, targeting one of the splinters that had formed along the chest. It pierced it, grazing against my leg before making it to the other side of the chest's mouth, where it dissolved.

That seemed to do it, as I could feel myself start to descend. The chest hit the ground with a thud, though it seemed it had one last surprise for me. Still trapped in its mouth, both my legs fell directly onto its teeth, digging into my thighs, I cried out, the unexpected pain wracking my body. Thankfully, it was only temporary, as the chest dissolved shortly thereafter. I heard something clatter to the ground, catching my attention. What I saw was the spear...it hadn't really had a chance to use it, but it seemed that it could have. Perhaps that was the treasure that was inside of it, before it got turned into...whatever that was.

Resa rushed over, knelt down, and took out her talisman. I looked down at my legs...they'd seen better days. My knees and lower looked and felt horrible, though there wasn't much I could do about the former until we were back at a bonfire. My knees to my waist were a little better, besides for the puncture wounds I had just received. It all started fading away, however, as Resa's miracle started taking effect. A few seconds later, and I was back on my feet.

"What on earth was that thing?"

My sister shook her head. "I was hoping you'd know. I'd rather we not have to check every chest we come across from now on, but it seems our best bet might be to give it a gentle stab first, and see if it stabs back."

"Speaking of stabbing." I reached down, lifting up the spear. There was definitely something different about it...a power, though it wasn't one that I could place. "Here, this seems more your thing than me. We can always drop it off at a bonfire if you'd rather not."

"I've gotten pretty use to the falchion, I think I'll keep it around. I'll hold onto the spear, though."

At that same moment, the two of us heard a large crash from outside, and we both rushed to the sound. The pit outside had filled up, the massive iron balls now almost equal to ground level. It seemed that one more had passed, breaking through the wall behind it, and moving onwards. Curious, I went to inspect, finding plenty of space to avoid the path of the boulders. Resa followed, looking about.

I noticed something in the corner of the room...a small glint, only noticeable due to the torchlight. I waited, patiently, as another boulder came crashing through. It hit the far end of the room, sloping down into absolute darkness. I walked over, finding the source of the glint. It was yet another ring...this one in the shape of a golden snake, intricately wrapped around itself. Before I inspected it too much, I walked out of the line of fire, doing everything I could to avoid the dangers of this place.

I showed it to Resa, who still only wore one ring. "I have to admit...it looks fairly nice. I know how you are with rings and magic and whatnot, but I'm pretty sure this is a bit too small for me to wear."

She held it out, inspecting it. "Well, you haven't turned into a blood-crazed demon again, and you've had the demon blade from time to time. I suppose maybe it's worth a try." She slipped it onto her off hand, the golden ring fitting quite well. "It does seem to be a good fit. Surely that means something."

I noticed the mechanical noises again, going over to inspect the corner. It looked like some sort of lift...a much smaller version of what we returned to Firelink Shrine on. Before I could get too good of a look at it, it ascended. What I did notice, however, was the thick layer of blood that coated the bottom of it. I looked back, motioning my sister over. "Looks like this is our way up. Be careful, though. There's blood. Probably means something nasty's on it if we wait for too long."

Unfortunately, it also looked like it was only large enough for one of us to fit. Once it came down, I stepped on it, waiting. "If you're back at a bonfire, we'll have learned not to do this."

"Don't you dare put us back there, brother." I could tell she was joking...but there was a very serious edge to her voice.

"I never - ". My words were cut short as I swiftly ascended, going up the Fortress. It was all pitch black for a couple seconds, the only thing telling me I wasn't dead being the sound of the gears next to me. A short seconds later, light appeared. I instinctively dove towards it, getting out of the platform just as it started ascending again.

I was in some sort of chamber, with the boulder ramp to my right. To my left was a staircase, a metal cage leading to a bridge that crossed over the ramp. I waited for Resa to ascend, however, before continuing. There were traps all throughout this Fortress, and having a second set of eyes would help us make it through safely.

I watched as the elevator descended, momentarily pausing by me before continuing downwards. I moved to the shaft, yelling downwards. "It's safe. Just get off as soon as you can!"

"Okay!"

A few moments later, and Resa appeared right in front of me. I grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the elevator, just in time before it started to climb up again. Once she was ready, the two of us continued onwards. There was a gate at the top, swinging open with a loud creak. We were in the cage now, walking directly over the boulder ramp. For once, I could actually see the top of the ramp from here. For some reason, it was completely empty...and yet it was clear that the boulder had changed tracks several times. Perhaps the very Fortress itself was more of a test than we'd originally thought, capable of repelling invaders like us.

We moved across the cage, exiting at the stairway down. We were now at the edge of the ramp. "We make it up, and we never look back. If we're a the same level as it, that means it can't catch us, right?"

"I'd like to think so, yes."

At that moment, a boulder rushed past us, down the slope. "Then let's go."

I ran up the slope, finding the distance more than manageable. We were in the clear by the time the next boulder came down. This room had fixe exits...four for the boulder, and one for us. It seemed that the boulder mechanism could be operated manually, choosing one of the four paths. I didn't bother messing with it for now, though, as there wasn't much of a reason to.

I moved to the exit designed for humans, immediately pausing. For once, the trap was so obvious that I could catch it, pausing as soon as I was in the small hallway. One the left wall were four slits, each one identical to the ones that had launched spears at us several times now. I held up my shield, blocking the wall, slowly advancing down the hallway. I didn't know where the pressure plate would be, all I knew is that there would be one.

I found it, halfway down the hallway. As my foot sunk down, all four traps sprung at once, a barrage of spears being launched into the hallway. None of them managed to break my guard, twelve spears now littering the hallway. I turned back to Resa. "Let's go, before it arms again."

The two of us rushed down the hallway, safely making it to the other side. For once, the hallway was...empty. No traps, no manserpents, nothing. However, that was extremely short lived as we neared the end of the hallway. As I turned the corner, my heart sunk. Four more swinging axes, on a pathway that was even more narrow than the ones before it. Thankfully, there weren't any manserpents around to make this ordeal even worse than it had to be...but that didn't say much.

I turned around, looking at Resa. "You...you go ahead. Maybe I can learn something from watching you get through it."

She nodded, walking past me, and onto the walkway. She approached this situation with much less confidence than the previous ones, as it was now her first time doing this as well. Still, she deftly ducked down, slipping past the first axe, and then the second. There, she paused, trapped between the second and third blades. After a few moments, she moved forward again, getting past the third blade, and then finally the fourth. After that, the rest of the pathway was completely empty, and she safely made it to the end.

She turned around to me, as I started taking the first few steps onto the pathway. "It's not too bad, Flynn. Just take them one at a time, and only move when there's an opening."

Yeah...if only it was that easy. I approached the first axe, seeing all four of them swinging, creating an impenetrable wall of blades. I...I had to be able to get through this. This is what Lautrec wanted, to see us go mad trying to catch up to him. He had to have made it through all of this already, otherwise we would have seen him by now. If he could do it, then I had to.

I stepped forward, the first axe narrowly missing me as I walked past it. The second one was accomplished a few moments later, though I could almost guarantee that it took some of my back with it. Now, with only two left, it looked more manageable than ever. I tried to do what Resa said, to focus on only the one blade in front of me. It was harder than I expected...but finally, I focused solely on the back-and-forth on the third axe.

Once it was at the end of its arc, I stepped forward, cleanly getting past it. The last one was felled just as quickly, with no other distractions to complicate it. Successful, I moved to the end of the pathway, where Resa was waiting. "If I have to do any more of those, I'm going to lose my mind."

"You made it, Flynn. You can't give up now, otherwise you're going to have to go through all of this chaos again."

She was right...we had to be close now, to something, preferably a bonfire. We moved past the pathway, out into the halls. There were a couple more manserpents that were easily dispatched, and one stairway leading upwards. We ascended the stairs, leading up to...even more axes. This was the worst series yet, with a pathway that I couldn't even stand normally on. I'd have to treat it like a tightrope...something that wasn't recommended when using heavy armor. "Alright...this is getting out of control."

"Yeah...I agree." To our left was a serpent, one of the few that seemed to throw lightning. Resa dispatched it with her own lightning before it could complicate things even further than they needed to be.

As before, Resa went first, carefully maneuvering on the miniscule pathway. Given her smaller frame, she could almost walk normally on it, though even she had to do a little fancy footwork to avoid the fall. Once she reached the first set of two axes, she paused. "They're too close together, you're going to have to take them two at a time."

Dexterously, she leaped forward, bypassing the first two axes in one swing. Now stuck between the two sets of two, she paused again, waiting for the perfect opportunity. Eventually, she found it, bypassing the final two axes, and moving to rest on the hallway behind them.

It was my turn...I would never be ready for this. It was awkward merely walking on the pathway, and that was before I was dodging axes. I made it up to the first one safely, though it perpetually felt like I was a gust of wind away from my death.

I understood what Resa was talking about now...the axes were so close together, you couldn't stand between them and hope to keep all your limbs. I had to focus, not on one, but on two, axes, something I was having immense trouble doing. Eventually, I saw an opening, and I took it, practically diving forward. I had to stop myself from moving too far, the third axe just inches from my head by the time I slowed down. From here, it was simply a matter of trying to get by the final two.

I waited, hoping for an opening where I could see Resa. As soon as I saw her face, I rushed forward, slipping past the final two blades. Victorious, I joined her on the hallway beyond, taking a break.

"Be careful, Flynn. There's a couple pressure plates here. I'm pretty sure the trap is to your left."

I nodded, turning to my left, and held up my shield. I could see it for sure, now that I was made aware of it. I didn't know what sick monster designed this place...but I had some complaints to file. "Go ahead and trigger it. I'm ready."

A moment later, three spears were launched from the trap, each of them harmlessly colliding against my shield. From behind me, I could hear Resa. "Alright, let's move before it's ready again."

The two of us continued on, slipping past the trap while it was down. We ascended a stairway...to outside. The light was practically blinding after being inside for so long, but I quickly adjusted to it, and realized we were nowhere close to done. The roof of the Fortress was a sprawling area, much larger than I had originally expected. There was a staircase leading up, which the two of us started walking towards. As we did, however, there was a massive crash, startling both of us. On the ground above us, it seemed like a giant ball of fire had been hurled to the ground, setting the entire thing ablaze. It burned vigorously for several seconds before eventually fading out. As we waited, however, another ball impacted the ground, repeating the cycle.

I looked around, for the source of all this. Far up top, near the top of the entire Fortress, appeared to be some sort of giant. As I watched him, he picked up another one, throwing it towards the ground.

"We just can't catch a break, can we Resa?"

She shook her head. "I don't know what I expected, but this wasn't it."

After the fire erupted, I moved to the edge of the staircase, waiting out the flames. Once they died down, the two of us bolted, running across the platform and towards the stairs on the other side. I kept going, up the stairs, and towards yet another staircase on the other side.

As soon as I was about halfway across, I was launched...it seemed the giant had redirected his shot. Whereas Resa was launched directly into a nearby wall, I was sent flailing across, until eventually I started feeling my legs falling off the edge of the Fortress. I started flailing, but it was too late, as now both legs had fallen. I gripped onto the edge for all my life, desperately trying to get back up.

With my heavy armor, however, it was all but impossible. Eventually, one hand slipped, leaving me to hopelessly grip onto the ledge. My vision was thrown to what was beneath me...and I was surprised to see that it wasn't nothing. In fact, it was much more than nothing...it was a bonfire. I happily let go at this point, dropping down onto the hidden platform that was beneath me, extending my hand to the fire. I didn't know what state Resa was in right now, but I needed to light this before anything happened to her.

As soon as the flame lit, I immediately saw Resa sitting next to it...it was as if she'd been there all along. That wasn't the case for her, though, as she immediately started looking about, confused. "What...happened?"

"You got launched into a wall, I got launched down here. I guess it worked out in the end, but I was pretty sure I was going to die."

"Well, thank goodness you didn't. Let's…let's take a break. I think we've earned it."

And that we did. It was a relief, knowing we'd finally made it to the bonfire...we didn't have to run through the axes, the traps, the boulders...we were past all of that now. And yet, from our brief excursion out onto the roof of the building, it felt like we were still so far away from our goal.

Strangest of all was the absence of Lautrec. Perhaps it was my own bumbling failures that caused it, but I would have thought we would run into him at some point. Perhaps there was something beyond the Fortress...though I hadn't seen anything when we were up there.

After a short break, we both stood up, ready to continue. It seemed like the only way out was down, back into the innards of the Fortress. Thankfully, it seemed that we emerged after the final wave of axes, right before the doorway to outside. As with last time, I prepared to block the spear trap waiting for us while Resa triggered it, before the two of us returned to outside. We navigated around, past the stairways, until we were right before the first area that was being bombarded by fire.

I looked up, pointing towards the giant far above. "We need to deal with that. It's the source of all this, and we won't be safe until he's down. Can you see a clear path?"

My sister simply laughed. "Flynn, you're the taller one of the two of us, and you're asking me for a path?"

"Well, if you're going to be that way." I sheathed my claymore, as well as dropped my shield on the ground. Before she even had time to react, I had already gotten a hold of her ankles, lifting her up, and over my shoulders. It was incredibly obvious to me now how much stronger I'd gotten since I'd been in Lordran...her weight was barely noticeable.

"Oh my gods Flynn, warn me next time!"

I chuckles...couldn't say I don't deserve what's coming later. "Well sister, do you see anything?"

I felt a kick on my chest from her legs, and I had to readjust my grip to keep her from slipping off of me. "To be honest...I think so. I can't tell what the inside of the building looks like, but I can get us directly underneath him. Now put me down!"

"Alright, going down." Slowly, I took to a knee, lowering myself further and further, until eventually I could feel the slight pressure on my shoulders fade. I stood back up, picking my shield up off the ground. "Well, you know the way, so it seems like I'll be following you for a bit."

"Don't you dare do that again, you hear me?"

I laughed. "So we go from 'warn me next time' to 'never again'? You can't seem to make up your mind, can you?"

She stood there, scowling, before finally easing up. "Fine. I guess it was helpful in the end, but warn me next time!"

"Will do, sister."

The two of us started moving, waiting for the fireball to fade before sprinting across the rooftops. At each staircase, there was a brief respite, giving us a chance to wait out the fire until it inevitably faded...if only for a moment. After clearing the third fireball spot, we were now on a small ramp, leading up to more walkways.

"Alright. This is where it starts to get a little hazy, but I'm pretty sure we've got to take this and head into that building over there." I followed her finger, looking on. Sure enough, it seemed that the stone pathways led to a building, which the giant had taken a position atop. I looked out, over the pathway...there were no axes, no spears...it was like any other pathway, and yet the Fortress had made me terrified of such a simple construct.

As I watched, however, a corner of the pathway erupted in fire, as the giant continued to impede our progress. The two of us both jumped, waiting out the flames. "Well, looks like we're not in the clear quite yet. Come on, let's get out of here."

As soon as the fires cleared, we bolted, sprinting around the first bend in the walkway, clearing it just as fire erupted behind us. We kept running, however, down the path, and making another turn. We arrived at the inside of the building, seeing a fairly odd sight. On the inside of the building were two circular cages, each one attached to chains. I tried one of them, finding the gate to be locked. "What do you think they're for? I can't imagine prisoners being kept all the way up here."

Resa reached for the shifting key that she'd acquired from Domhnall, moving it towards the lock. It only seemed to make it about halfway into the lock before stopping...or so I thought. I watched on as it moved further and further into the lock, as if it was figuring out what key it needed to be. I was...dumbfounded, to say the least. Eventually, the key was firmly in place, and Resa was able to open it up. As the shifting key returned from the lock, it seemed as if it held a singular shape for a brief moment, only to return to the odd blur that I was use to.

"There doesn't seem to be anything inside it...probably best to leave it alone. Besides, the last thing we were on that had chains was the platform covered in blood. Probably best not to be stepping in strange cages."

I nodded, and we moved on. The room had a rear entrance ot it, leading out to another set of walkways that slowly angled upwards. At the top of the ramp was an archer, very similar to the ones we'd seen in the church. It didn't seem to pose too much of a threat, however, as we carefully started walking around the walkway.

As we neared the first corner, fire erupted on the second corner, startling both of us. I had to stop for a moment, regaining my balance on the thin pathway, whereas Resa seemed unfazed. While we waited for the fires to clear, Resa launched a lightning spear at the archer, knocking it back.

We continued on, up the ramp, and finally towards the archer. Resa made quick work of it, as it wasn't even armed with a shield, and we made it into the upper level of the building. This time, things were much more as expected. There was a staircase leading upwards, as well as two separate pathways leading out.

Before we explored those, however, we needed to deal with the giant. We ascended the staircase, leading out to a small third floor. In one corner were the boulders he was throwing, piled unrealistically high. Of course, in the center of the floor, was the giant. I was surprised...it appeared that there were chains on his feet, though they looked to be broken for ages. Perhaps 'Sen' had long since abandoned this place, and the giants that remained here did so because they had nowhere to go.

Whatever the case was, the giant seemed quite intent to eliminate us. It swung its arms down, each one several times my size, knocking Resa back into the boulders, whereas I held my ground. I lunged forward, striking at its exposed legs, circling around to its back.

It didn't even seem to be wielding a weapon, although its fists were quite formidable on their own. Several times it swiped at me, but the giant was even slower than I was. It wasn't too hard to simply sidestep the attacks, following up with my own. Resa joined into the fray as well, the power of her divine falchion easily lacerating the giant. It seemed cruel, to kill something so hopelessly defenseless...but it had been doing the same to us. Whatever the case was, it had to be dispatched before it caused us further troubles.

After one final swing, it fell down, erupting into a shower of souls. It was done...we'd killed it. With nothing else left to explore, we returned back downstairs, to the cages. "Where to now, sister?"

She looked around, two more paths. One was a much wider door, leading out to a large, ovular area, whereas the second seemed to lead down a hallway. "Let's take the big door. There's probably something out there."

We advanced, through the open doorway, out onto the oval. There were heaps of rubble in the center, as well as several broken pillars along the outer edge. Even more intact pillars were outside of them, making it look like we were in the center of a large ritual circle.

From far away, I could hear something strange...like metal scraping against rock. I looked up, off in the distance, seeing the source of the noise. At the end of the area we were on was a massive, stone wall...with a gigantic suit of armor sliding down it. It was a black iron, a rather rare material from my understanding, and in one hand it held an axe that put my own to shame. It slid down the wall at an impressive speed, due to hit the end of the arena in a few seconds.

I started backing up, getting my shield ready, as Resa did the same. When the armor hit the ground, stone flew everywhere, likely the cause of the rubble in the center of the circle.

It took no time to recover, immediately starting to rush towards us as soon as it hit the ground. It was much faster than I had anticipated, especially for something so large. I tried to retreat, but couldn't quite manage it, taking the full brunt of its axe directly against my shield. I was sent flailing, rolling into the edge of the arena. Whatever was in that armor, likely another giant...was terrifyingly strong.

As I recovered, it stayed hovered atop me, ready to bring its axe down on me yet again. I threw my weight to the side, rolling beneath its legs to avoid the blade that crashed down right where my torso use to be. I scrambled to my feet, running behind the armor before it could catch me. Resa hurled a lightning spear at it, catching it in the shoulder. This seemed to stagger it just enough, giving me enough time to start striking at its legs.

What I found out, immediately, was that there was no giant inside of it...it was hollow. My blade ripped through the black iron, emerging cleanly from the other side without even a trace of blood. This wasn't a knight...it was a suit of armor. I struck yet again, cutting through the leg as my blade swiftly tore it up. The armor retaliated, stomping its leg on the ground, causing enough of a shockwave to send me staggering backwards. It leaped back, cutting the ground in front of it as it did so, sending a trail of sparks on the ground.

Meanwhile, Resa was doing incredibly well against the armor. It seemed to be quite weak to her lightning, each one causing it to flinch momentarily. That gave me enough time to slash at its legs again, further weakening the iron suit of armor.

After one swing, it fell to the ground, the lacerations in its leg too much to handle. The two of us wasted no time in capitalizing on the opportunity, as I immediately pulled out my greataxe, hefting the imposing weapon. Now, instead of slashes, I was taking huge chunks out of the armor, the wide head of the axe ripping it apart.

As the armor recovered, I didn't have enough time to react as a hand gripped me, tightly squeezing around my torso as I was lifted up in the air. I could see Resa hurl another lightning spear at it, but it wasn't enough to keep the armor from holding me. Trapped and constrained, there was nothing I could do as I was launched, flying towards where we'd just taken out the giant.

My vision went black when I collided with the outer wall of the staircase, coming to rest against the enormous pile of boulders in the corner. A few seconds later, and I felt Resa's miracle go to work, restoring the numerous bruises on my body as quickly as they came.

I looked back out, towards the armor. Now alone, Resa was carefully backpedaling, circling around the armor. She didn't want to attack it, and I couldn't blame her...it was impressively strong, and I didn't even know if it could be killed. It didn't have a heart, or blood...it was metal.

The armor turned to me, swiping its axe in my general direction, though I was far too far away to be hit by it...or so I thought. Left behind in the air was a strange shimmer, a distortion in the air, that came rushing at me. It felt like a blast of wind hit me as the distortion continued forward, also managing to destroy the upper wall of the tower. In doing so, one of the boulders rolled off, coming to crash on the ground below. It erupted into fire, burning out a few seconds later. At that moment...I had a plan.

I called out to Resa. "Bring it over here!"

She turned to me, confused, and I pointed to the ground, and the smoldering remains of the boulder. She nodded, moving to position herself with her back to the entrance to the arena. She jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding a swipe by the armor, and launched a lightning spear at it. While it was stunned, she bolted, sprinting back to the tower. I got into position, standing behind a decent number of the boulders, hoping that the armor wouldn't have the intelligence to know what was coming next.

Thankfully, it didn't, charging straight towards us, likely only knowing to kill the closest thing to it. Resa emerged from the staircase a few seconds later, coming up to me. "This better work, Flynn. I don't think we can deal with this thing on our own."

"Sister, it's going to work. Do you think it can withstand being crushed by these, as well as being lit on fire? Now help me and start pushing!"

I threw all of my weight into the boulders, trying to roll them forward. They were extremely heavy, which wasn't a surprise, making throwing them like the giant did a complete impossibility. However, rolling them forward wasn't so bad, and I finally managed to get the first one moving. At the same time, the armor started cutting at the ceiling, ripping apart even more of the front wall.

That's what did it, shifting the entire structure just enough that not one, but several of the boulders started to roll. One by one, they fell from the roof, and onto the armor. However...they didn't explode, merely coming to fall on top of him. The armor was completely immobilized, however, with several dozen boulders now surrounding it on all sides.

Resa turned to me, looking at my shield. "I don't think they fell far enough to erupt on their own...but I'd be willing to bet a spark would do the trick. Lucky for us, you're a walking torch."

I nodded, dropping my shield. "You're right as always, sister. You know, we've had enough time in the Fortress...I think I've figured out how to use the pyromancy Quelaan gave me. Would you like a demonstration?"

She laughed, nodding. "Please, the stage is yours."

I walked forward, bringing my flame to life. I concentrated on the fire...but also on chaos, uncertainty, humanity...and fear. The flame grew brighter, hotter, and a richer shade of red than ever before, until it billowed outwards into a fireball the size of my head. My hand was practically shaking from the raw strength coming from it, and I was forced to launch the red ball of flame at the armor. When it erupted, pools of lava seemed to form around the impact, quickly melting through the thin metal casings of the boulders. "We might want to find cover...this could get bad."

The two of us retreated into the stairway as the first boulder erupted, setting off a chain reaction that turned the armor into a fiery maelstrom. I could hear each one explode, as even more fire was added into the equation, melting through the armor with the intense heat of the fire.

By the time we were at the bottom, all that was left was the molten slag of the armor, as well as a few shards of the boulders that hadn't burned away. There was something else, though...a glowing, wispy light in the center of the armor. It looked like the soul of the butterfly we'd seen in the Garden, though they had their own minor differences. Without question, I stowed it away, holding onto it for later. "It seems we've felled another great enemy. However, still no - "

I was cut off, as strange, bat-like demons started swarming us. They were each armed with a forked spear, droves of them coming at us. I lifted up my shield, swiping at them, but it was no use. One gripped one of my arms, and then another, until eventually three of them had me, suspended in midair. I flailed about in vain, unable to free myself...but I could see Resa was suffering a similar fate.

We were flown high up, to the top of the wall that the armor came down, before being dropped. The demons flew off, leaving the two of us alone.

I stood up, looking about. We weren't in the Fortress anymore. In fact, I'd never even seen this place. Where were we?


	14. Chapter 14

**Flynn**

 **SL44 - 21 VIT - 12 ATT - 23 END - 27 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL44 - 17 VIT - 19 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 18 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 26 FTH**

 **Resa**

We were lost...or at least it seemed that way. After we'd fought the giant suit of armor, we were carried off to...somewhere. It was hard to tell where exactly we were, all I knew was that I'd never seen it before.

However, it was impossible to deny the beauty of the land we'd just entered. In the distance I could see a massive, grandiose cathedral, with exquisite architecture running all along it. Most impressive of all was the sun...it completed the entire scene. We'd been flown up a rather long distance by the strange demons, and it seemed to clear out the air, leaving the sun to shine perfectly on the cathedral that was ahead.

Currently, we'd been dropped off on a small platform, with a winding staircase leading down. I looked at Flynn. "Seems like we've only got one way to go. I doubt those demons are going to politely take us back to the Fortress if we ask them to."

He nodded. "Yeah...I'm guessing we're stuck here until we find some way back. Hopefully that's fairly soon. I'm also willing to bet we'll find Lautrec in here, somewhere…."

That was true...we'd seen no trace of him in the Fortress, but we had every reason to believe he went that way. Likely, he ended up here shortly before we did, and had already started moving forward. I wanted this over...all of it. I was sick of having to fear about my future, and I knew Lautrec would have it no other way. The longer we waited, the longer we would get nervous, and the more he could capitalize on that.

I started walking forward, ready to get this over with. The staircase winded about, until eventually ending up on a landing, with only one path leading forward. At the end of the path stood a statue, easily twelve to thirteen feet high, holding a massive shield in one hand, and an equally large halberd in the other. The armor was rather intricate and decorative, as were the weapons...it looked as if someone had taken their time crafting this.

As I moved closer to the statue, I realized just how wrong I was. I watched it take a single step forward, and then another, until it started raising its arm over its head. The halberd it held was taller than I was...much taller. I dove out of the way as the weapon crashed into the ground, sending rocks flying from the impact.

From behind me, Flynn was running to catch up, as I struggled to get back on my feet amidst the rubble. The armor kept advancing, swiftly closing the distance between us. I rolled out of the way just as its halberd came crashing down again, putting an impressive gouge in the wall next to us. I began channeling my strength through my falchion, divine energy beginning to course through it. I slashed at its legs, unable to reach much else, able to rip through its armor with relative ease. I could tell there was a person in there...both from the resistance, and the blood that started trickling from the wound.

The giant spun around, narrowly missing me with his shield...or so I thought. Before I had time to react, it slammed its shield on the ground, crushing me under its weight. I could barely breath as I was pushed into the rubble, practically being buried underground. I felt several bones fracture, one after the other being absolutely pummeled to death from the sheer weight bearing down on me.

Somehow, amidst all of this, I managed to survive. I reached for my Estus Flask, my arm barely managing to pull it to my face before I lost my energy. Some of the liquid trickled into my mouth, the rest simply splashing against my cheek. In a desperate attempt at survival, I swallowed what little I could get.

Immediately, I started feeling the effects, though I was far from healthy. Bones began knitting themselves back together, though what little I'd drank wasn't enough to fully restore them. It did, however, give me the energy to take another drink from the Flask, this one much more on target than the previous. The precious liquid began working its magic on me much faster than before, muscles and bones alike being restored to what they were.

I thrust the rubble out of my way, struggling to get back to my feet while I was still being repaired. Flynn was standing toe-to-toe with the giant, though it seemed like the giant had quite the advantage over him. Unlike me, Flynn couldn't try to avoid the hits, only able to block them. The black knight's shield...it had done him well for so long, but against a weapon as massive as this, it seemed like a child's toy in comparison. Still, he held steadfast against the crushing blows.

I began charging a lightning spear, aimed directly at the giant's face. It caught him by surprise, staggering it just long enough for Flynn to step into action. He lunged forward as he pulled out his greataxe, preparing to use the heavy blade to its fullest extent. He rose it up, high over his head, before bringing it down swiftly on the giant's arm. He managed to sever it at the wrist, causing the giant's shield to start falling to the ground.

However, Flynn wasn't done. He dashed back around to the other side of the shield, lifting his leg up to kick it. Now, it started toppling back over, towards the giant, the impressive weight of its own weapon now a problem.

While it was defenseless, I rushed forward, ready to get back into the fray. I started slashing at it again, cutting at the inside of its legs. Without the shield in the way, combined with the long handle of the halberd, it seemed like the safest place to be was as close to the giant as possible. I continued hacking at it, Flynn now working on its legs as well, until finally we brought it down. It exploded into a shower of souls, leaving nothing but its shield behind.

Flynn looked at the shield, trying to heft it up. As soon as he did so, however, I could sense a spark...some divine power...contact the shield. It slowly began diminishing in size, my brother finding it easier and easier to lift the shield up. By the time it had finished shrinking, it was still quite the formidable item. It covered nearly his entire body, leaving room only for his head and his sword arm. Other than that, it was a solid piece of impenetrable steel.

"It...it wasn't this small earlier, was it?"

I shook my head. "It seems that something...I don't know what, unfortunately, tampered with it. Perhaps it was the soul of the giant itself, or perhaps there is some greater power out there. Whatever the case is, I think it'd be quite rude of you to pass it up."

He laughed. "Oh believe me, I don't plan to. Unfortunately...it's way too heavy for me. If we find a bonfire soon, I'll come back for it...but otherwise I would be a liability carrying this around. Given that I'd come back somewhere in Sen's Fortress, I'd rather not have to go through all of that again."

I nodded...it made sense. "Well then, let's see if there's one nearby."

We carried on, moving down the pathway, entering into a building next to it. Inside, two more of the giants stirred to life at our presence, both of them moving towards one of us. I looked at Flynn. "You remember with the ogres, in Blighttown?"

"I'm not losing this time, sister. There aren't any ledges around here."

"We'll see about that, Flynn. You're on." I rushed towards one of the giants, narrowly avoiding his shield as he sent it crushing down to the ground. Flynn was right...I didn't see any way to use my surroundings to my advantage. The room was fairly empty, save for the four of us, and a statue in the back that I hadn't had time to look at properly yet.

I rushed towards the giant, trying to stay in close. I could still be knocked over by his shield, but it was hard for him to hit me with the halberd while I was so close to him. I immediately started attacking, cutting at one leg whenever there was an opportunity. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Flynn taking a fairly similar tactic, though I knew that he would easily fell the giant in an even race. Still...I didn't see any way to turn this around.

I dodged a failed swing from its halberd, throwing the giant's center of balance quite off. I tried to capitalize, throwing my entire weight at it in an attempt to knock it over, but I practically bounced off of the thick slab of armor. I continued attacking, until its leg was simply coated in the blood of its wounds.

From across the room, I heard the other giant burst into souls, as Flynn claimed the victory. He didn't interfere, though, as I continued my methodical approach to the fight. It wasn't much longer until I managed to fell my giant, turning to Flynn. "Well, I guess I can't win them all."

He laughed. "I'd be afraid if you did. I don't want to think about the fact that my sister could take me in a fight."

Mockingly, I pointed my falchion at him. "Then it's best you stay on my good side…" I couldn't help but laugh, losing my demeanor.

"Alright, well let's see what's next...but first, I want to know what's in this chest." He walked over to the corner of the room, kneeling down.

"Don't forget to poke it first, brother. You remember what happened last time, no?" It felt childish, prodding everything we came across, but it seemed that that was the world we lived in now.

"You're right...I'm surprised I've already forgotten." He took his claymore and swung at the chest, chipping off part of the corner. As expected, there was no reaction. He opened up the chest, inspecting its contents.

Flynn lifted up a small slab of rock, about the size of his foot. "It looks like...titanite. But I can't say I've seen anything quite like it before. This...this doesn't look like the 'Twinkling' titanite Andre mentioned when we first met. Maybe he hasn't even heard of it."

Without a second thought, Flynn stowed it away, and we continued on, exiting the building. We emerged onto a massive, empty area, almost like some sort of foyer to the cathedral ahead. Far in front of us was another building, identical to what we'd just emerged from. To our right was the cathedral itself, several intricately designed pathways leading up to the entrance. To our left, however, I noticed a small opening in the wall...like some sort of hidden room. I pointed it out to Flynn, curious.

"Given that it appears our destination is to our right, it seems like we should explore our other options first. Let's check it out." The two of us continued on, moving towards the entrance. Inside was a short staircase, leading downwards. Cautious, Flynn advanced with his shield up and ready, not willing to take any chances.

Before we were halfway down the stairs, we heard a voice call out. "You will find no enemies here, only rest. You can relax your blades...you will have no need for them here." The voice was vaguely feminine, though I could tell that it was slightly distorted in the same way Flynn's was...armor. Still, I dropped my weapon, as did Flynn, until we made it to the base of the staircase.

Inside was a bonfire...already lit, to my surprise. Next to it was a woman, garbed in delicate brass armor, leaning idly against the wall. "Greetings, Chosen Undead. Welcome to the Land of the Gods...Anor Londo."

Anor Londo? I'd never heard of it...or anywhere described as the 'Land of the Gods'. However, given the grandiose cathedral just outside, it wasn't too much of a stretch. "Who are you?"

The woman laughed, slightly more pompous than I would have expected. "I protect the Gods that remain...Gwynevere, and her brother Gwyndolin. However, I am also the firekeeper here, tasked to keep the bonfire lit for Chosen Undead, such as yourselves."

Flynn set his weapons down, taking a seat by the fire. "What do you mean, 'Chosen Undead'? We're undead, sure, but I don't see how that makes us 'Chosen'."

"Few make it as far as you stand now...fewer make it much further. I cannot disclose much more, but know that the trials before you are far greater than those you have already accomplished. So long as you remain steadfast, you will succeed."

Given what we'd been through, that was...worrying. Flynn seemed to think the same thing, shifting around in his armor, unsettled. "Have you seen a man come through here, dressed in golden armor? We've been following him for quite some time, though we haven't seen him."

The woman shook her head. "No...you are the first travellers to arrive here in quite some time. Tell me, why are you chasing him?"

Flynn looked at me, and I understood. As a firekeeper herself, the news might be...unsettling. "He murdered someone, a friend of ours, and likely many more. We've been told that there's a way to bring her back...but we have to defeat him first. Catching him has not been as easy as we'd thought it could be."

"A way to bring her back...then you speak of a firekeeper, no?"

Flynn responded almost immediately. "How did you know?"

"Most undead will simply go hollow if they struggle indefinitely...but they will come back as many times as possible. Firekeepers are not so lucky...death still has some hold on us. If what you say is true, then perhaps it is good that he and I did not cross paths...it has been quite a while since I have had to use my blade. I would prefer to keep it that way."

"We're doing everything we can to find him, don't worry. Once we do, we'll put an end to this...for as long as we can."

"There is a way, to permanently destroy an Undead...though it is something that they can only do themselves. An outside force can cause them to hollow, of course, but only them are capable of truly giving everything up, and ending their own life. It is a gruesome, sickening process...but I have seen it done before."

"Are you saying - "

"This man has murdered a firekeeper, in a time where there are precious few of us. I am not saying I encourage this behavior from anyone...but I will turn a blind eye in this case."

I nodded...I understood how she felt. We sat in silence from then on, simply resting at the bonfire. Flynn left for a short moment to retrieve the giant's shield that he had left, bringing it back a short while later. It was just small enough to fit in the bottomless box, stowing it away for later.

After our break, we left the woman, returning up to the empty platform above. This time, we pressed forward, moving to a strange tower that was in the direction of the cathedral. Inside, we found a strange, circular platform, surrounded by a ringed walkway. Just as the two of us stepped on it, it began descending, rotating around slowly.

"If what's here is worse than Sen's Fortress...I don't know if I can make this, Resa."

I patted my brother on the back. "I believe in you. Just now that whatever we're doing, Lautrec is having to do alone. We'll find him, and we'll beat him. I know it."

"Yeah...I'm just worried about what happens when that's no longer motivating us."

I felt like this was as good a time as any...I hadn't mentioned it to him yet. "Actually, Reah left me a note secretly. They've left for a place called the 'Catacombs'. She's going to need our help, and I'm giving her mine no matter what."

He nodded, right as the platform came to a stop. We got off of it, staying within the confines of the tower. "If you feel that strongly about it, then I'd be a fool to tell you no. I'll come with you, of course...just let me bring her back first."

"Of course, Flynn. I wouldn't have it any other way."

We stepped out of the tower, emerging onto a stone walkway. At the far end of it stood...a gargoyle, identical to the one that we'd seen in the churches. It was just as alive as them too, weiling an extremely long axe in one hand as it began charging towards us.

We immediately sprung to action, as Flynn rushed forward to meet the beast. I hung back, preparing a lightning spar, which I hurled at the gargoyle. It took a massive chunk out of its shoulder, staggering it right before Flynn got within striking range. My brother capitalized on this, bringing his claymore up, directly towards the beast's shoulder.

In one swift motion, it's arm was torn cleanly off of its body, writhing about on the ground. Flynn continued striking at it again, this time going for its neck. He cut a deep gash, but not quite enough to tear it completely off. I hurled another lightning spear at it, this time trying to target the head as well. The spear ripped through some of its stony hide, carving out another large chunk from its flesh.

It was incredible...I'd never stopped to think about how much stronger we'd grown since we were in Lordran, but the evidence was undeniable. Whereas before, I'd been scared, trapped in the corner, and hiding behind my shield. Flynn had been doing everything he could to try and survive, drawing their attention in every way he could to keep them off of me. But now, it was the exact opposite. We were shredding through the stony hide as if it were flesh, barely getting scratched in the process. Flynn deflected the blows with ease, evidence of the practice he'd gotten using the black knight's shield.

Flynn struck it one last time, as it exploded into a shower of souls. It was...that easy. It didn't feel nearly as satisfying as the first gargoyles we fought, no grand sense of accomplishment...I suppose that's because it no longer was a large threat. We'd faced greater challenges since then though, and from the sound of things, we'd face an even greater one soon.

I looked around, inspecting the pathway that we were on. At the far end, closest to the cathedral, it simply...disappeared, only to reappear a short while later. In the gap stood some sort of tower, though right now it was far too to be of any use. I moved over, carefully leaning over the edge, looking down. I could see pathways extending from the sides of the tower...it seemed we would have to find a way to bring it back up. To the left, I saw a third pathway, leading to a building off to the side. I couldn't see any sort of walkway that would take us there, but perhaps it was where our answer lay hidden.

I returned back to Flynn, who had investigated around the rear of the tower. He emerged, holding another piece of the strange titanite he'd found earlier. "Seems like it could be native to the area...I didn't even know that was possible. I wish I knew what it was for...if only we had some way to get back to Andre."

Or anywhere, for that matter. I felt so isolated out here, even though this place looked like a fairy tale. I didn't know why we were here, or why we'd suddenly become 'Chosen' Undead, or any of this. I just wanted Lautrec to be defeated, so that I could live my life without fear of being turned into a slave. "Flynn, we need to find a way over to that building right there. There's some sort of rotating drawbridge that's lowered, and I can't find any sort of operating mechanism over here."

He turned, looking towards the building. The only thing connecting it to where we were now were diagonal pieces of architecture, almost made to look like ribs of some massive beast. They ran from the ground level here, up to connect with the slanted ceiling of the building. "Resa, you can't be serious. We - I...no!"

I moved over to the nearest rib, looking up it. It was quite rounded, which would make climbing it even that much harder. However...it looked like our only way across. "What, is the great Flynn of Thorolund afraid of heights?"

"No! I'm just...that looks like a long fall, that's all."

"Well then you'd best try and maintain your balance. I don't see another way forward."

With that, I cautiously began ascending the spine, moving upward as slowly as possible. I took to my hands and knees, trying to make sure that I wouldn't fall off. It was as perilous as I'd expected it to be, my feet slipping out from under me several times.

Once I was about halfway out, I looked back to see Flynn following behind. He was only just beginning, but it looked like he was moving even slower than I am, moving like a caterpillar up the spine.

As I neared the top, I caught a glimpse of my destination. It seemed that there was a landing just outside, with a busted window suggesting that it had been broken into recently. The windows were too foggy for me to be able to tell what was inside them quite yet, but I had a feeling it wouldn't be empty. Once I got to the top of the spine, I jumped off, landing nearly silently on the landing.

I looked back towards Flynn. He was taking his sweet time, of that there was no doubt. I decided to investigate the building while I waited, in an effort to make our advancement easier once we were both here. I stepped through the broken window, careful not to cut myself on any of the remaining pieces of glass.

Inside, I found quite the curious sight. I was on a small platform on one side of the building, guarded by a small rail. Beyond that, however, was nothing. I appeared to be two floors above the ground level, where several figured, donning close-fitting white outfits stood.

Most curious of all, however, were the rafters of the building. They were rather elaborate, and made from stone, running lengthwise across the building. On both ends, I could see a singular ladder that took you up to them, should it be needed. That's when it dawned on me...it would be needed. The drawbridge connected to the far side of the building, and we needed some way to get across. I could already imagine the look on Flynn's face when I told him the news.

As I waited inside the building, I heard a faint noise come from behind me. I spun around, seeing one of the strange, white figures knelt down. It appeared that it'd jumped from the rafters above, trying to catch me by surprise. I immediately brought up my weapons, ready for combat. It held no shield, instead going for two short, curved swords. They were flared at the tip, quite a curious design compared to what I'd normally seen.

Without any hesitation, the masked figure lunged at me, swinging both blades at me in tandem. While I blocked one with my shield, the other managed to slip past my defenses, grazing my side. The cut wasn't that deep, by any means...and yet blood started pouring from the wound much faster than I would have anticipated. It wasn't too much of a problem yet, but if it happened again, it felt like I would be in serious trouble.

I swung my falchion at the figure, sending it back. I channeled my divine power through the blade, setting it alight with the wispy white aura I'd grown quite familiar with in recent times. I slashed at the figure, and with no shield of any sort, cleanly cut it down the torso twice. This sent it staggering backwards, giving me enough time to collect myself.

However, the respite was brief, before the it lunged at me again. This time, I was prepared, bashing my shield at its arm, and catching the other sword with my own. My shield sent its sword flying out of its hand, landing to stick in the ground behind it.

Now, without one of its swords, it was even more defenseless than before. I slashed at it, cutting across it with relative ease, ripping through its garb several more times. There was nothing it could do except take the hits, until eventually it fell to the ground, defeated. Right as it exploded into souls, Flynn entered the room through the window.

"Well...glad I wasn't needed. What was it?"

I pointed out towards the ground floor, at the many more that stood in wait. One of those, jumped off of the rafters. Their swords...they seem to cut deeper than they let on. I'm not bleeding bad, but I am given how little I got hit." I looked down at my side, inspecting the wound. It had recovered fairly quickly, but my clothes were still stained red from the blood. I walked over, picking up the sword that had been left behind. I gave it a few swings, experimentally...it seemed quite similar to the falchion, but there was just something about it that I couldn't figure out quite yet.

"Interested?"

I looked up at Flynn, who was admiring me testing the blade. "We'll see. If I can figure out how they were using it, then maybe. For now, though, I'm going to be better off with a divine weapon." I paused for a second, before pointing upwards. "Also, the only way across is the rafters. I'm pretty sure the firekeeper wasn't lying when she said this wouldn't be easy."

Flynn looked up, before stamping his foot on the ground in protest. "No. No, no, no, no! I've just been through Sen's Fortress, and I just climbed that stupid thing."

I teased. "So you must be getting pretty good at your acrobatics, right?"

"No! I'm not about to look like a monkey again trying to balance on...whatever's up there! There has to be another way."

I looked over the railing, down at the ground below. "Well, if you think you can survive a 2-story fall, and wade your way alone through at least a dozen of those people...yeah, I guess there's another way."

He let out a growl, crossing his arms defiantly. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"More than you can possibly imagine. Here, I'll go up, and make sure that it's not too bad. You can come across once childproofed everything for you. Wouldn't want you to slip and hurt yourself, now would I?"

"Oh, that's...you know what? I'll go first. I can do this, just you watch." He started moving towards the ladder, not giving me time to object. I laughed internally, his defiance likely going to get the better of him. Still, I began ascending the ladder behind him, prepared to cross the rafters.

Up top, it seemed that there were more enemies here to block our way. I could spot four, three of which were fairly far down the building, with one extremely close to us. Because Flynn had gone first, there was little I could do but watch as he cautiously approached the enemy. He was right...given his wide frame, he couldn't even put both feet next to each other, being forced to awkwardly stand at an angle. He hid behind his shield even more than usual, unable to pivot about on his back foot like he was use to. Thankfully, the white-clad figure was equally constrained, little maneuverability allowed in such a confined area.

Flynn lunged forward with his sword, being careful not to lose his balance. Rather than going for a direct attack though, it appeared that he intentionally missed, thrusting his sword under the enemy's left arm. He wrenched the sword to the left, sending the heavy blade crashing into its side. The foe was knocked off balance for Flynn to lunge forward, bashing his shield into the foe. He was sent hurtling off the rafters, hitting the ground with a sickening thud.

Flynn turned back to me, sheathing his sword. "Like I said, I can do this."

I looked down the rafters, searching for a target. In the center of the room sat a magnificent chandelier, with one of the strange figures standing beside it. I reached for my talisman, already feeling the crackling power of a lightning spear tingle between my fingertips. The motion had become so smooth, so familiar...I didn't even have to think about it that much. I hurled the spear at the foe, instantaneously vaporizing it. I turned to Flynn, pulling out my falchion. "You can, but I dare say I can do it better."

"I can do that to! Just...not from this far away. Here, you'll see." He charged forward, only making it a few steps before he started to doubt his footing. From then on, he was extremely cautious, moving on the rafters as if they'd break at any given moment. Unfortunately, even I had to do the same, finding my footing quite precarious on the rafters. Flynn eventually made it to the center of the room, gripping onto the chain that suspended the chandelier. The footing was a little easier over there, with more support being necessary to keep the chandelier in place.

Right as I caught up to him, he kept moving forward, towards another of the masked figures. It threw a few throwing knives at him in a vain attempt to catch him off guard, but all of them ended up being blocked by his shield. Once he closed the distance, he let go of his shield, bringing the spark of pyromancy to life once again. The flame grew brighter, redder, and more swollen, as he began using the chaos pyromancy yet again. It was...fearsome, of that there was no doubt. Seeing my brother arched over, almost as if he was in pain, all from using a pyromancy...it was a bit worrying. However, once he hurled the flaming orb, he seemed to be just as fine as he was previously. The orb exploded around the target, completely enveloping it in lava, while even more dripped down to the ground below. The rafter itself started to melt under the intense heat, causing the entire structure to start moving.

I moved up to Flynn, hurling a lightning spear at the last target that was in our way. "Alright, now look what you've done. We've got to go before there's no ceiling left for us to climb on!" I dashed forward, praying that my feet would land where I needed them to, in an effort to make it to the end as quickly as possible. I didn't even bother with the ladder, simply leaping off the edge right before I heard the entire ceiling shudder.

I haphazardly landed on the ground, rolling into the rear wall of the building just as I washed the catastrophe happen. Thankfully Flynn wasn't far behind me, forgoing any sense of safety in an attempt to not fall to his death. As soon as he dove for the ground, the rafters collapsed, crashing down behind him.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion...my brother, falling through the air towards me, the rafters starting to break in more and more places, falling towards the ground, and the ceiling, which was also starting to crumble apart due to the lack of support. A cacophony of noise filled my ears as the destruction ensued, the ceiling now starting to collapse in on itself, falling inwards. The chandelier was the first to hit the ground, as glass shattered into thousands of pieces, littering the floor.

Everything sped up again once Flynn landed on the floor, and I knew he was safe. The rafters finally hit the ground a split second later, with bits of the ceiling now crashing down behind it. Flynn looked up, staring right at me. "We've got to get out of here."

"What makes you say that, the fact that you broke an entire building with one fireball?" Thankfully, the doorway wasn't too far away, and the two of us scrambled to get out before the entire building collapsed down on us. Outside, we were on a short walkway, leading off into nothingness. There was a lone lever next to the building...it seemed we'd found the way to maneuver the rotating bridge.

As I pulled it, I could hear Flynn behind me. "That...I went overboard."

I yanked the lever, before pointing to the building in front of us. It was still falling apart, with severe pieces of the ceiling now starting to fall away. "Yes Flynn, you did. We're probably not going to be able to get back here again, given that our only way across the building is now in ruins. Let's be careful from now on, and pray that we're near a bonfire."

He nodded, clearly understanding the consequences of what he just did. Behind us, the rotating bridge rose up, moving to slide right next to the end of the walkway we were on. The two of us boarded it, finding a stairway in the center of it, as well as a large, rotating lever. It seemed that this was our means of transportation while we were on it...turn the lever, and the bridge would move with it.

I looked at Flynn. "I think you've earned the right to move it. Let's see where this can take us." I didn't want to go to the cathedral quite yet...I had a feeling that we'd find more danger in there than I wanted to deal with right now. "Let's see what's down below, if we can get there."

Flynn nodded, beginning to rotate the lever around. Sure enough, it began rotating, until eventually it came to a stop, lining up perfectly with the pathway to the cathedral. Standing there, however...was another gargoyle. This one looked much more like the second gargoyle we'd fought at the church, with pieces of its armor having crumbled away.

Flynn let go of the lever and rushed the beast, ducking underneath a gout of flame that billowed from the beast's mouth. He slashed at it, cutting across the exposed belly of the beast, ripping through the stone like it was flesh. I aided him from afar, throwing a lightning spear at the creature, and managing to shatter its lower jaw. The fire began to spew everywhere now, bathing Flynn in the fire, as well as itself.

My brother dove out of the way, avoiding a majority of the fire as he circled around to the creature's rear. He lunged forward, thrusting his claymore through the entire creature.

I called out. "Hold it. I'll light it up." I formed another lightning spear, now moving to target the claymore. I let it fly, as the spear collided with Flynn's weapon.

It had been quite a while since we'd done this, and it seemed that it'd grown quite a bit stronger. As soon as the two attacks met, Flynn's claymore lit up with divine, thunderous energy, crackling with raw power. The sheer strength blew a hole in the gargoyle, about two feet across, as my spear dissipated into the stony flesh. With such a massive hole in it, the gargoyle fared no better than the building we'd just exited. Flynn cut it down with one horizontal swipe, severing the beast into two halves. It crumbled away into souls, as the two of us returned to the center of the bridge.

"That...was impressive. We should keep that around, I can't think of a time where it's ever failed us."

I nodded. "Agreed. With my faith growing stronger every day, as is your strength, I have no doubt that it will as well. Now, let's see if there's anything beneath this...there has to be some reason there's a staircase down here."

Flynn nodded, moving to rotate the platform again. Sure enough, it descended lower down to where it was when we'd first spotted it. I walked down the staircase at the same time, a somewhat dizzying experience given the fact that the entire structure was moving. At the lower level, I saw a singular pathway leading out, spinning around to land at the entrance of a hallway. Flynn descended a short while later, the two of us moving down the hallway. Inside, there was a lone staircase leading downwards, towards a small, circular room...with a bonfire in the center of it.

Thank goodness...we'd found one before it was too late. I lit the bonfire, swiftly taking a seat down in the room. There was a lone statue, appearing to be a king of some sort, opposite of the entrance. He held a massive greatsword pointed at the ground, and wore a spindly crown atop his head. "He must be the head of the cathedral here. Perhaps he's the challenge the firekeeper warned us about."

Flynn nodded. "If that's the case, I don't think we're ready. Unless, of course, he isn't as tall in real life" It was true...the statue was easily twice our size, the greatsword not much smaller. Fighting an undead of that scale would easily outdo us...we'd barely survived a suit of armor not too long ago.

I noticed to the left and right were much smaller statues, engraved on the wall. They appeared vaguely similar to the black knights we'd seen earlier, except they were somehow...more pure. The wings on their helmets didn't look corroded, and they stood with a sort of regal authority that the black knights had lacked in real life. Perhaps we would see them soon...though I doubted they would be more friendly than their black counterparts.

I looked to bonfire, and then up to Flynn. "Let's take a rest here. It's been a rough day...I think we've earned it."


	15. Chapter 15

**Flynn**

 **SL46 - 23 VIT - 12 ATT - 23 END - 27 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL46 - 17 VIT - 19 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 20 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 26 FTH**

 **Flynn**

While we'd were sitting by the bonfire, Resa again picked up the sword she'd found on the strange, white-garbed figures...in the building I'd singlehandedly brought to the ground. The guilt still weighed on me, painfully so...it was my own brash actions that had caused it to happen in the first place. Resa had always been telling me to be careful, and now it seemed that my luck had finally worn off. For once, I was the one that was telling myself to be more careful, as it seemed that Resa was starting to become nearly as bold as I was.

I stood up, watching my sister attempt to learn the intricacies of the sword she now held. It was an odd blade, I had to admit, but she seemed to be picking up on it relatively quickly. The flared tip of the blade was quite different than the falchion she'd been using, and to be honest, I wasn't sure what benefit it had. However, Resa seemed to be intrigued by the foreign weapon, and I was more than willing to let her learn it. I chimed in several times, noting openings in the way she struck, as well as minor problems with her stance. By the time we were ready to leave, it didn't look like she'd just picked it up.

Eventually, we departed the sanctuary of the bonfire, ready to advance. By the looks of things, we were bound for the cathedral that was ahead, as it seemed like there was little else in this place. We walked back up the stairway, and back onto the strange bridge we'd been on earlier. Once we were both on, I moved towards the lever in the middle, pushing it forward. Slowly, the bridge began rotating as well, rising higher and higher up until it came to an abrupt stop. I looked out, seeing the bridge connect to the pathway leading to the cathedral...it was time. I turned to Resa, seeing her gripping her old falchion tightly. "Are you ready?"

She nodded. "It's not like we can leave here, so I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"Alright. Then let's get to it." I led the way, my shield already up as I moved down the walkway. Ahead was a massive flight of stairs...though there was something strange about them. On either side, two staircases ascended upwards, with steps that were quite reasonable for an undead. However, the center was barely climbable, with steps nearly three feet tall. It seemed that something...large, took residence here. Perhaps it was the giants that we'd already faced, but even this seemed larger than what they would find comfortable.

At the top of the stairs, there were two of the giants, nearly identical to the ones we'd fought before. I immediately took a step back, preparing for the situation. I had to learn to fight safer, more careful...so that incidents like ruined buildings don't happen again.

Resa looked over to me, and then at the other giant. "Up for round two?"

I sighed...I had a feeling this would happen. "Alright. Loser fixes the other's armor."

"That's not fair! Your armor is way harder to fix than mine!"

"Then you've got an even bigger incentive to win."

She pouted, scowling at me. "I want some titanite if I win, too. I know you've been hoarding some away for yourself."

That actually wasn't true...but I'd let her think it was. "Alright. I'll give you enough to pretty up that shiny new sword of yours. Deal?"

"Absolutely." Without a second thought, she rushed towards the giant, sword at the ready. I advanced towards mine, claymore at the ready. I wasn't particularly interested in beating her, she needed the titanite anyways if she intended to use the new blade, but also because I didn't want to rush this. So long as I played it slowly and methodically, I'd be happy.

The giant raised its halberd high over its head, preparing to swipe at me. I ducked down behind my shield, raising it up just in time to hear the ring of metal against metal. I counterattacked, getting a quick swing at its arm before retreating. It was slow...that was not up for debate. However, it kept me safe, and out of trouble.

To my left, I watched as Resa wove in and around the giant, rolling between its legs, leaping off its shield, and narrowly avoiding the massive halberd. It was odd, seeing her feel so comfortable in the midst of combat. It felt like only yesterday when she cowered behind her shield, doing little more than healing me whenever I got injured. Still, she was managing to avoid the giant's attacks, and look flashy while doing so...something I never quite accomplished.

I blocked another blow from the giant, bearing the weight of the halberd on my shield. I struck back, hacking once at its arm, and then again at its chest. It was starting to get worn down, my repeated, heavy strikes taking a toll on it. Now that it was attacking less frequently, I was willing to be somewhat more aggressive, taking two or even three hits before again retreating behind my shield.

Eventually, I managed to defeat it, all while not even scratching my armor. I looked over towards Resa, arms crossed, foot tapping rhythmically on the ground. "Well brother, looks like you've got some titanite to hand over."

I nodded. "I...actually don't have a stockpile. Once we're out of here, I'll go find some. If the slimes in the sewer haven't run away yet, I'm sure they'll have plenty. Why did you think I would keep some from you?"

She shrugged, looking onwards. "I didn't, but I figured you'd be willing to get some if I asked nicely." She grinned, a devilish smile gracing her features.

"You're insufferable. Why do I keep you around?"

"Well, because I can kill a giant faster than you, for one. I think I'm also good at keeping you alive, maybe not though."

I shook my head. "Alright, let's see if we can get in here." I walked towards the front door of the cathedral, looking upwards. They were impossibly tall...taller than even the giants, with nothing resembling a doorknob in sight. I pushed on it with all my might, but it was like pushing against a stone wall. "So...doesn't look like we'll be getting in this way, at least not yet."

Resa looked around, surveying the area. There was a black iron gate on other side of the front entrance. To the left it was closed, with a vague outline of a door embedded in it. On the right, however, there was a clear opening, leading around to the side. "Perhaps there's a back door somewhere?"

"Looks like it's our only option, so let's hope so." The two of us moved past the gate, and out to the side of the castle. Immediately in front of us were three of the bat-demons that had carried us here, perched around a small staircase leading downwards. It seemed they lived here...or at least did at the moment. I advanced towards them, steadily, while Resa rushed past me, ready to take them on.

As she engaged one of them that was off to the side, I ran up to the other two, poised and ready. I didn't know how they fought, but I could tell by the beastial spear in their hands that they weren't unarmed. One of them flapped its wings several times, taking to the air, and then charged at me. I blocked the attack, feeling the strength of the flyby against my spear, but still managing to stop it in its tracks. The counterattack followed as expected, as I took a heavy gash out of its wing. The other was close behind it, its attack failing to connect as well.

Though they appeared to be quite fearsome on the outside...they simply didn't have the strength and coordination to back it up. I was easily able to deflect whatever attacks they lobbed at me, cutting large gashes out of them while they were open. Eventually, Resa dispatched the one that she engaged, moving towards the two by me. She lunged at them, raking her sword across their wings, cutting them to the point of uselessness.

Now that she was here, I moved more on the offensive, charging at the demon. I brought my claymore down on its back, the pommel of the blade connecting with its spine. I heard bones crack beneath me from the impact, though it appeared that the foul beast wasn't quite dead. I brought my sword up, spinning it about, allowing the blade to face downward. In one quick motion, I sheathed it in its spine, cutting through its throat, and down the length of its back. The demon exploded into souls just as my claymore hit the ground beneath it, and I looked towards Resa. With one final hit, she felled hers as well, turning back towards me. "If these things live here...perhaps whatever told them to grab us does as well. That could be our way out of here."

I hadn't thought of that...she had a point. "That's true. Let's keep going, hopefully we'll find somebody that knows what's going on."

We continued on, onto a small, railed ramp that led down to a platform. It wasn't even wide enough for the two of us to walk side by side...it barely even counted as a pathway for me. About halfway down it, however, I heard a large crash slightly behind me. I looked back, seeing something akin to a large spear lying across the pathway, as well as a section of the railing looking broken and destroyed. It had just barely missed Resa...but it was close.

I looked onwards, trying to pinpoint where it'd come from. Far in the distance, near the outer walls of the cathedral, was an archer, donning the armor we'd seen in the bonfire room previously. It was very similar to the black knight's armor, except completely silver, and slightly more regal in appearance. In its hands, however, was easily the largest bow I'd ever seen, or would see. It was taller than the knight, as he notched another six-foot-long arrow.

I looked towards Resa. "We've got to go. Now."

She nodded, coming to the same conclusion I had. We rushed down the ramp, ducking as we landed on the isolated platform below. Two more of the demons had taken up residence there, and they both leaped at us right as we came down. Before engaging, I looked back towards the archer...thankfully, there wasn't a clear line of sight.

I engaged the demon, holding up my shield as it recklessly charged at me. I tried to stay behind the walls of the platform, hoping to avoid getting a spear lanced through my back unexpectedly. The demon proved little resistance as it was, its spear never managing to get past my defenses. Slowly but surely, I whittled it down, blow after blow raking across its back until it couldn't stand any more.

I looked around...it seemed that the only way forwards was towards the archer, with another ascending pathway leading towards them. Unlike the last one, however, this had no rails of any sort...one hit, and you'd be falling to your death. I turned towards Resa. "I'll go up there, get his attention. Do you think you can take him out with a lightning spear if I give you the opening?"

She nodded...she knew I was serious, likely from the genuine worry in my voice. "Yeah. Just don't get hit, Flynn."

"Can't say it's high on my list of things to do. Alright, let me get a bit of a lead."

I advanced out onto the path, steadily, one foot in front of the other. That's when I noticed it, a second archer, positioned off on the other side of the path. The two drew their bows in unison and aimed them directly at me, prepared to fire. I rushed forwards, towards a column halfway up the pathway, large enough to provide plenty of cover should it be needed. Just as I rushed at it, I felt the two spears shake the entire column, lodging themselves deep into the stone.

Behind me, Resa was following, able to ascend while they were reloading their bows. "Alright, I'll take out the one on the left first. Just give me enough time to get a clean shot off on him."

"Yeah sis, sounds easy when you put it like that. Alright, don't take too long." I rushed forward, wrapping around the column, and back into the complete open. I braced myself against the back edge of the column, not daring to move any further for right now. All I had to do was get their attention...if I took an arrow while doing so, at least I wouldn't fall to my death.

Both archers leveled their bows at me once again, gleaming silver arrows pointed straight towards me. I held up my shield, feeling vastly undergeared for what was about to happen. Twin arrows were launched from the bows as I braced myself, trying to hide as much of my body behind the small shield as I physically could, but only managing to cover a portion of my torso.

Both of them impacted me, bypassing my shield that I wasn't even trying to aim. I felt them both rip through my torso on either side, effectively pinning me to the column. My vision momentarily flickered from the pain, but I held on, willing myself to live out of sheer obstinance. I watched on as Resa's spear lanced through the archer on the left, knocking it off of the thin platform that it was perche on.

"Alright, I'm moving to the other one. How are you holding up?"

"Just...great. Couldn't...be better. Hurry!"

It felt like my innards were on fire, as the pain continued to grow steadily with each passing moment. The archer leveled its bow again, another arrow now pointed directly towards me. I held up my shield...I had to block this one, or else there's no way that I would survive the impact.

As the arrow flew towards me, I held out my shield, doing everything I could to try and block it. Thankfully, I was successful...somewhat. The massive arrow split right through the shield, and into my arm that was behind it. Thankfully, that slowed its momentum enough that it stopped immediately afterwards, not making it to my torso that was only a foot away. I cried out in pain...I was surprised the attack hadn't split my arm in two. My vision had nearly gone to black now, but I heard the familiar sound of Resa's spear lancing through the air right before my vision went completely dark.

My hearing was gone too...or at least it seemed like it. I didn't know how much control I still had over my body, but I was willing to bet it wasn't much. I felt a slight shaking, my arm being slightly jostled by...something.

"Resa...Resa? I'm...I'm…" I didn't even know if I was speaking, or if I simply thought I was. I felt a tugging at my left arm, a somewhat odd angle...it had to be Resa, trying to rip the arrows out of me. Suddenly, my arm felt lighter than before, though it still hung limply on the ground. Suddenly, the tugging moved to my torso, as she did her best to try and pull the other two arrows out of me. I didn't know if pulling them out would cause me to bleed out, but I figured she would...she was smart at that kind.

Aftera few more moments, I felt my entire body fall to the ground, my knees impacting the ground before the rest of me. I felt my left hand hanging limply off of the pathway that we were on, and I did everything I could to tighten my grip on my shield. I could still feel it there, hanging from my arm, likely one wrong move away from falling into eternity. I couldn't lose it...it was a token of Resa's success in combat.

Suddenly, life was breathed into me, as everything started flickering back to life. My vision was still dark, though I knew it was there...I just had to pick my head up off the ground. I coughed, feeling everything start to knit itself back together. I threw my body back, trying to get back on my feet. I got a slight headache as my head impacted the pillar yet again...but I didn't care.

"Flynn...are you okay?" Resa was there, kneeling down, her talisman still being held in her hand.

"Yeah...I think. Thanks for picking me back up again. Did you get them?"

She turned around, letting me see the empty path ahead. "Yeah, they're gone. Try and be careful next time, okay?"

I picked myself back up onto my feet, still getting over the pain. "I could say the same thing to you from time to time. You aren't exactly being a shining beacon of caution yourself."

She chuckled. "I guess that's true. I suppose I can't blame you too much then."

I started moving forward, shaking off the remnants of the pain. By the time I made it to the end of the path, it was completely gone. I turned to the right, moving around the side of the building, past where the archer had been just moments ago. At the very end we came to a ledge, with a sort of balcony beneath us.

I looked back at my sister. "If we jump down, there's no going back. Once we're in, we're in."

"Well, then I guess let's go. No sense waiting out here for a miracle to happen."

I nodded, jumping from the ledge, and onto the balcony below. There was a small doorway that I walked through, finally stepping foot inside the cathedral.

* * *

 **Resa**

We were finally inside the cathedral...it seemed as if a holy, divine presence pervaded the entire building, beckoning me inside. The firekeeper had said this place was the land of the Gods...I was beginning to sense that there might be a literal truth to that.

Inside, we were in a wide hallway, with a door on either side. Further ahead, I could see a spiral staircase leading upwards, allowing us to explore even more of the cathedral than before. I walked forward, opening up the door on the left.

Inside...two things immediately caught my eye, both somehow more exciting than the other. Inside, a lit bonfire flickered away, beckoning me forward...to Solaire. The Warrior of Sunlight sat cross-legged at the bonfire, warming his hands by the subtle warmth. My mind was racing with questions, mostly centered around how he got here.

Before I had a chance to ask any of them, however, Solaire stood up, beckoning me forward. "Resa! Oh my, it has been quite some time since I've seen a familiar face. Tell me, where have you been?"

"We...we rung the Bells of Awakening, and made it here. Where have you been? We went by where we first saw you, but you'd left."

"Oh, I've been doing some exploring myself, I suppose you could say. I too rang the bells, of course, but I've been searching for a sun...a magnificent sun. I do believe I've found it! Have you seen the sun outside?"

"I have, Solaire. It's quite lovely, indeed. Where will you go now?" I'd remembered him talking about the sun the first time we'd met him...it seemed he was quite transfixed by the entity.

"Oh, well I think I'll spend some time here, in Anor Londo. I've heard there are quite a few fascinating Undead here that I'd like to meet. And what will you be doing, Resa?"

I looked back at Flynn, a grim expression on my face. I didn't want to tell him we were here seeking revenge...it didn't feel right. "We're here to meet someone, as well. We've been trying to find him for a while, but he's always just a little bit ahead of us."

Solaire chuckled, leaning back slightly. "Oh, well I'm sure that's fun, isn't it? Meeting friends always is a treat."

The two of us moved over, taking a seat by the bonfire. Flynn was still tending to the wounds he'd suffered, as well as repairing his armor and shield. Once we were ready, we departed, back out into the cathedral.

We stepped across, entering the opposite room. Inside was a lone knight, seemingly guarding a chest. Like the archers we'd seen before, he was donning gleaming silver armor, a regal contrast to the battle-ravaged armor of the black knights we'd seen earlier. This one, however, wielded a shield and a sword, a bow clearly less effective in these close quarters. It charged at us as soon as we opened the door, ready to swipe at Flynn instantly. My brother held up his shield, blocking the knight's overhead strike, and followed up with a quick thrust from his claymore. The blade came out of the knight's midsection drenched in blood, the knight staggering backwards from the damage.

I wrapped around the side, getting in a slice from my sword. I'd taken a liking to it...it didn't have the holy power that my falchion had, but that was something that would be easily remedied whenever we made it back to Andre. Still, the way it moved felt very fluid, very...pretty, in an odd sense. That, combined with the fact that it seemed to bleed enemies far easier than normal, made it quite the potent weapon.

I got in another flurry of blows, slicing away at the knight's back. Blood immediately began pouring from the wound, evidence of the unorthodox style of the sword. After a few more hits, blood began absolutely gushing, covering the knight's back in a thick crimson coating. I'd...I'd never seen this before...and yet somehow I wasn't as appalled as I thought I'd be. In Lordran, it seemed that if you didn't rise up to the enemy, you'd be overcome. Yes, it was my duty as a Warrior of Sunlight to aid those who needed it...but there was nothing that said I had to be the pinnacle of compassion while doing so. These knights had almost killed my brother, and I wasn't about to give them a second chance.

After another slash from Flynn's claymore, the knight dissipated into souls, leaving the room empty. I moved over towards the chest, curious about what it was guarding. Right before I reached for it, I remembered the 'chest' we'd seen in Sen's Fortress. I gave it an experimental prod with my sword, somewhat relieved to find that it didn't react. Inside were two...medals, I suppose. They looked like emblems, about the size of the palm of my hand, each engraved with an image of the sun on them. Solaire had said this place had quite a nice sun...perhaps there was a correlation.

We exited the room, walking back out into the main hallway. Another knight tried to ambush at the base of the staircase, which we quickly dispatched. Flynn tried one of two doors on the other side of the staircase, finding it locked tight. I tried the final one, opening up into a completely empty room. With nowhere else left to go, we walked back towards the staircase, ascending.

On the second floor, we saw two chests lying in two corners of the main landing, with a hallway leading down one end. The other was cut short, though still left room for two doorways.

Flynn walked over to one of the chests, kneeling down to open it.

"Flynn...test it."

He sighed, looking back. "Resa, that hasn't happened since. There might not be another one anywhere!"

I walked over to the chest, holding out my sword. "And it doesn't slow us down that much to simply poke it. If it yells at us, then we've just saved ourselves from being eaten. If it doesn't, then we've defaced a bit of property. Doesn't seem like that's much of an issue for you though, does it?" I teased...I knew he was still angry at himself for what had happened earlier, but he needed to get over it. It had happened, and mourning over the destroyed building wouldn't rebuild it.

"That...that was uncalled for."

"Probably, but it's true. Now stand aside." I poked the chest with my sword...feeling the whole thing shiver. Only a moment later, and the lid of the chest flung open, two rows of jagged teeth glaring at us.

The two of us took a step back, readying our weapons. I pounced on the chest before it had even stood up, cutting at the thin arms before they had a chance to attack back. Flynn followed suit, hacking at the beast's legs with his claymore. Now that the surprise was turned around, it turned out they weren't too fearsome to fight. We cut it down before it was able to do much of anything really, providing us the treasure inside. It was a singular, golden coin...with a face engraved on it that I just couldn't quite recognize.

I showed it to Flynn. "Do you think they still have a currency here? I mean, besides souls?"

He shrugged. "I guess it's not out of the question. Probably best to hold onto it just in case."

We moved to the second chest, finding that it, too, was more than it appeared to be. Like before, we cut it down, finding that this one dropped five silver coins. As before, we stowed them away, unsure what purpose they might serve us.

I moved down the hallway, finding another knight at the far end. This one held another bow like before, but now it was close enough that I could actually see the details of it. It was easily as tall as he was...which said quite a bit, with arrows that were nearly as long as I was tall. He notched one of the arrow, drawing the bowstring back.

The two of us ducked for cover as soon as the arrow was let loose, flying into the staircase behind us. It shattered one of the rails upon impact, flying still further to embed itself on the rear wall. While he was open, I rushed forward, sprinting down the hallway towards the knight. It noticed this, dropping its bow, and reaching for a spear and a shield. The spear was...odd, with three flared points at the top of it, almost ornamental in appearance. However, that clearly wasn't the case as the knight started rushing at me, poised and ready to attack. I rolled out of the way as he began extending his arm forward, spear extended. The pronged tip grazed my arm as I hit the ground, a slight trickle of blood following behind as I sprung back to my feet, now behind the knight. Flynn took up position at the front, rushing forward to stop the knight's spear with his own shield.

Now in prime position, I cut at the knight's back, having free reign to rake my sword across his armor. Flynn did the same, two might blows from his claymore cutting the knight down. A third swing was all it took, as he too dissolved into souls.

Finally, with a cleared hallway, we walked to one of the two doors guarded by the archer, trying them. Yet again, one was locked tight, while the other opened up into an adjacent room. It seemed we were in the living quarters now...the room had a bed that was quite well maintained. In fact...this whole place seemed so different than everywhere else so far. Sure, it appeared to be at least somewhat abandoned...but it still looked like it was inhabited. It wasn't like the sewers, or Blighttown, or the church, with broken walls and crumbling towers. Everything seemed so...pristine. I couldn't complain, however, as it was far better than where we'd been thus far.

In the back of the room was a small opening, leading off into another room. On the other side, another knight tried to catch us by surprise, but barely managed to scratch Flynn before he pivoted, blocking the strike with his shield. From then on, the knight wasn't even able to lay a scratch on my brother, inevitably falling to its demise. Flynn had...changed, and I wasn't sure if it was for the better. He was far more cautious, which is something I'd been nagging him about since we'd gotten stuck in Lordran, but his complete aversion to risk seemed to be taking a toll on him. I knew that he was frustrated with himself for what had happened to the building...I would be too, if I had caused that, but he seemed to be taking it to an extreme. I didn't want to interfere quite yet...if he needed time to sort himself out, I'd let him have it.

The room had another staircase in the corner of it, this one leading even further upwards. At the top, it opened up...we were on the roof, the sun shining down on us yet again. There were two knights up here, an archer guarding a door at the far end of the roof, with a swordsman guarding the adjacent corner. Flynn split off, running towards the swordsman, while I reached for my talisman. Just as the archer began raising his bow, I too raised my weapon, a crackling spear of lightning forming in my hands.

We released our projectiles at the same time, arrow and spear flying towards each other, and at the other. I dove out of the way, throwing myself to the ground just in time to feel the breeze of the arrow across my neck. I watched on as my spear collided with the knight's chest, who hadn't even bothered to avoid the attack at all. From the ground, I threw one more at it, which was all it took to finish the knight off.

I brushed myself off as I stood back up, walking over to Flynn. He was peering down the opposite stairway, looking down. "I...I think I hear a voice of some sort. I can't tell much, it's quite faint."

I leaned in as well...I could hear it. It was only faint murmuring from the sounds of it, hardly the noises a foe would make. "Let's investigate. I doubt it's that dangerous."

Flynn nodded, allowing me to take the lead down the stairway. It opened up into a mirror image of where we'd just been, with a small room connected to the supposedly-larger room via a closed door. This time, however, there was a man...garbed in what had to be the strangest armor I'd ever seen. It was extremely bulbous, almost like an onion in appearance, practically enveloping the person inside. I was surprised that you could walk in it, in all honesty.

The strange man looked up, almost startled when he saw us. "Oh, why hello there. I am Siegmeyer, of Catarina. Who might you be?"

"I am Resa, of Thorolund. This is my brother, Flynn. What brings you to Anor Londo, Siegmeyer?"

He chuckled slightly, somewhat odd given the conversation. "Oh, well I've just been exploring about, but I do believe I've gotten myself into a bit of a predicament. On the other side of that door are some of those silvered knights...I've all but run out of my Estus, and I'm afraid to turn back around at this point."

Finally...a situation that practically screamed for a Warrior of Sunlight Perhaps he'd been trapped here so long that he'd never run into Solaire...I'm sure he would have helped out if he'd known. "Don't worry, Siegmeyer. We'll clear the path."

I looked at Flynn getting a nod from him. In one fluid motion, I opened the door, darted through it, drawing my blade and shield. On the other side were two of the knights, swords drawn and ready for combat.

We felled them...easily. I'd been expecting something at least mildly formidable...but they simply weren't. Flynn seemed to come to the same conclusion, taking down one of the knights almost completely unopposed. In the corner of the room though was another chest which, after inspection, contained two more slabs of the strange titanite we'd found so prevalent around here. We'd started to build up quite the collection, even though we hadn't the faintest clue what they were used for.

I walked back towards Siegmeyer, showing him the empty room. "It's safe now. We can take you back to the bonfire, if you'd like. It's not too far."

The man shook his head. "No, I should be able to make it back just fine. Thank you for your help, travelers. I am in your debt."

Flynn shook his head. "No, it wasn't much. You don't owe us anything."

"Nonsense. Should we meet again, I will have something for you as a token of my gratitude. I cannot let a favor go unpaid."

Flynn let out a sigh. "Very well, then. Be careful Siegmeyer."

"You as well, Resa and Flynn." With that, he exited the room, opening the previously-locked door on the second floor. We returned back to the rooftop, now moving to the staircase on the far side, leading downwards.

It took us to sort of a...half floor, seemingly nestled between the ground and the second floor. There was only a singular hallway leading forward, as well as a door on either side of the hallway. Before moving onwards, I peered into the door on our left.

Inside was...a strange demon, though we'd seen one before. Andre had warned us about it when we adventured into Darkroot Garden: the strange, titanite-like, headless demon. I immediately wrapped myself back around the wall, hoping I'd avoided its attention. "Flynn, there's a demon in there. The one we ran from near the Garden."

He nodded. "Well? Do you think you're ready?"

I scoffed. "I'm ready? Don't you mean we're ready?"

"Hey, if I remember right, you got knocked on the floor and almost taken out by that thing. I don't remember being in too much trouble. If you're too worried about it, I won't hold it against you."

I could tell he was teasing, egging me on...he wanted to fight it. He always wanted to test himself. "Alright. You're going to eat those words."

"Gladly."

I rushed in, more than willing to take on the challenge before me. The demon was large and foreboding...but we'd taken on far worse, and proved victorious. Flynn charged in after me, not even stopping to take in the sight of the demon as he closed the distance. Whereas Flynn got up close, using the demon's broken leg to his advantage, I kept my distance for a bit, sizing up the situation. The staff it wielded had incredible reach to it, and could easily catch us off guard. From our last encounter, I also knew it was capable of throwing lightning...something I wasn't too keen on dealing with.

Flynn moved on the offensive, somewhat safe in the pocket beneath the demon's torso. There was little it could do with its staff from that angle, leaving my brother free reign to attack it. I kept my sword away...this creature didn't have any blood, making it somewhat pointless to attack directly. However, I reached for my talisman, preparing to barrage it with lightning spears as necessary. I wasn't afraid to use as many as possible...the path to the bonfire was pretty clear.

The demon continued trying to reach for Flynn, but every time, found a shield blocking its path. Flynn fended off the beast extremely well, keeping his shield overhead while his sword kept cutting away at the stony hide. He was starting to make headway now, a sizeable portion of its torso now starting to crumble into rubble.

Suddenly, the demon leaped in the air, completely disengaging from Flynn. I held up my shield as I looked in the air...it was coming for me. I dove out of the way, rolling underneath the demon's raised leg. Flynn charged at the demon, trying to grab its attention, but it seemed that it was disinterested in my brother. The spear smacked into me at full force, my shield just a moment too slow, and I was sent flying against the wall, crashing into it.

My vision momentarily went blurry, quickly recovering once I was back on my feet. I reached for my Estus flask, feeling a majority of my ribs in significant pain, bringing it up to my face. However...the demon wasn't done, as I now felt the hook at the end of the staff wrapped around me. A moment later, and I was flung into the air, as the demon flailed me around, before again launching me at one of the walls. My Estus flask was thrown out of my hand mid-flight, milliseconds before I crashed into the wall of the room.

This time, my vision was blacked out...for quite a while. I could still feel myself moving, just without sight. This time, I reached for my talisman, as I cautiously strafed around the back wall of the room, hoping to evade the demon for as long as I could. I conferred a miracle upon myself for once, my Estus flask now gone. I immediately felt my ribs start to mend myself, as well as color beginning to fill my vision once again.

The demon was now back against Flynn apparently, with a nasty gash running along its side. Also...Flynn was using the greataxe he'd picked up in the sewers, foregoing use of his shield for the time being. Now, each heavy blow ripped away large chunks of the demon, as if Flynn was cutting down a tree made of rocks.

My vision continued returning to where it once was, my physical health as good as it ever was. I launched another lightning spear at the demon, taking another chunk out of its shoulder. It was starting to crumble, piece by piece...each swing starting to become dangerous for it.

Flynn picked up on this too, and prepared for the finishing touch. The demon tried to grab at him, a desperate attempt to throw him away, but my brother was ready. He brought the greataxe up, targeting the beast's shoulder which I'd already injured, and cleaved directly through it. The arm fell limp on the ground as Flynn kept going, striking again to take out the other shoulder, the beast now completely defenseless.

One final, massive strike was all it took, as Flynn brought the greataxe across the demon's chest. It cleaved the entire beast in two, as it dissipated into souls. What remained, however, was something I recognized...it was a piece of the titanite we'd been seeing since we'd been here. It seemed that it was a derivative of the demons themselves, rather than something that naturally formed. Flynn stowed it away, turning back around towards me. "Well, that's a mystery solved, I guess. Are you alright?"

I nodded, walking back over to where I'd dropped my Estus flask. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Business as usual, I guess." With that, I walked back out to the hallway, inspecting the other room. It appeared to be some sort of trophy room, with a myriad of bestial heads mounted on the far wall. There were also two silver knights in the room, one on the staircase leading downwards, and one on the lower floor. We quickly dispatched them, as Flynn charged into one, and I hurled a lightning spear through another.

At the bottom floor were two large chests, which had previously been guarded by one of the silver knights. After checking them, I opened them up...finding a full suit of the knight's armor inside. It was strange...seeing it so separated from a sword or shield made it far less fearsome. I turned to Flynn. "It's far too heavy to carry far. Do you think we can make it back?"

He turned towards the one door on the lower floor, opening it up. "As it turns out, we're back on the ground floor. The bonfire should be a straight shot...I don't see why we shouldn't bring it with us."

I nodded, picking up the gauntlets and the helmet, leaving Flynn to deal with the main body. We hauled it back over to the bonfire that was just across the hallway, only to find that Solaire was gone. It seemed that his stay was quite temporary, given that we couldn't have been in the cathedral for more than an hour. Perhaps it was fate that kept let us meet at all.

After taking a short break at the bonfire to collect ourselves, we returned, walking back up through the shortcut we'd opened. We moved back out, towards the hallway we'd previously skipped, moving forward.

On other end, the hallway opened up into an absolutely vast room, larger than anything else we'd seen in Anor Londo. There were staircases on both long sides of the rectangular room, leading upwards to a second floor that we were currently standing on, which wrapped around the outer wall. Below, on the main floor, were two of the giants we'd seen earlier...except there was something different. They appeared to be of a higher rank, or some sort, with more detailing on their armor, along with a cloth strip running down their center. Dotting the staircases were a few silver knights, one of them not too far from where we currently were. Flynn moved to take it out, able to quickly execute the knight before it had a chance to act.

As soon as he was done, he looked around, reaching into his pack. He pulled out the black eye orb...it had changed. The eye was now glowing a brilliant yellow, like a beacon in the night. Even in the well-lit room it was the brightest thing thing I could see.

Flynn looked at me, holding the eye out. "You remember what the warrior said. Throw it on the ground, and the challenge is immediately accepted. I...we've been chasing him for so long, but I can't force you to go through with this, especially given the circumstances. If you don't want to, I'll put it away in the bottomless box, and we can forget about it."

"And if you do that Flynn, you'll never forgive yourself for giving up on the firekeeper. I know the risks...and I'm willing to shoulder them. You may not be willing to admit it, but I know that she made you happy. I'm willing to risk myself for you to have that again."

"Resa, I...thank you."

"Oh, don't you start going soft on me right now. We've got a job to do. Now, are you going to do something with that orb or do you want me to?"

He nodded. "It's time. Let's get this over with."

With that, he let go of the orb. Our future was finally upon us, and for once...I didn't get a second chance.

 **With this installment, Twin Humanities officially becomes the longest story I've done to date (in four less chapters, somehow)! Obviously, this is far from over, but I wanted to thank everyone that's still sticking with this. It's always great to know that people are enjoying what I'm writing, and I hope you're enjoying it...otherwise, I'm surprised you've made it 15 chapters! Next chapter should be pretty big...I'm sure that's obvious, but it's my task as the writer to try and present what's been brewing for an-** **eighth-of-a-million words in as much grandeur as it deserves. That might take some time, it might now...we'll see if I can get the inspiration flowing.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Flynn**

 **SL48 - 23 VIT - 12 ATT - 23 END - 29 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL48 - 19 VIT - 19 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 20 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 26 FTH**

 **Flynn**

The orb fell to the ground...it seemed like everything we'd done had led up to this point, ever since I first met the firekeeper at the Shrine. I'd made a promise to her, to help her, and find another bonfire where she wasn't locked behind bars. I'd done that, thinking I'd helped her...and then Lautrec entered the scene. He'd murdered her, and made me look like a fool at the same time.

But now, finally, I had my chance to right my wrongs. I could bring her back, save her...I had no other choice. I didn't know if I'd bring her back to the bonfire she was slain at, especially given what had happened, and how quickly it had happened. The bonfire was dormant, yes...but I couldn't risk losing her again.

As the orb hit the ground, the entire world seemed to warp and distort, as if reality itself was bending to conform to the duel that had just been accepted. Everything seemed to go dark for only a split second before things came back to focus. We were in the same room...perhaps. It was slightly different than before: the two giants on the floor were gone, as well as the silver knights up above. The entire building also appeared somewhat darker, as if a shade of crimson had been cast upon the entire area. FInally, Resa and I had also been relocated, now standing in the center of the ground floor.

The largest change in the room, of course, was Lautrec. It seemed he had brought two people with him to the duel, a sorcerer and a warrior by the looks of it, stationed on either side of him. They were on the far end of the ground floor, which was clearly going to be the battleground. As soon as we appeared, he walked forward, the twin curved swords hanging loosely in his hands.

"Well, it seems you were intelligent enough to figure out how my challenge works...and foolish enough to still accept it. You're still swooning over her soul? That's why your here, isn't it?"

He was toying with me...a nuisance until the very end. "Enough talk, Lautrec. It's time you pay for the murder of a firekeeper. Why would you even do something like that?"

The man scoffed. "It's simple, really. Firekeepers have some of the most powerful souls in Lordran. What other way is one suppose to gain strength, than by consuming the strongest souls they can get their hands on? You can't tell me you're any different, I smell the souls rolling off you in waves. So much untapped potential, just waiting to be unleashed."

"You murdered her for your own gain! You're even worse than I imagined, Lautrec." I brought my claymore up, over my shoulder, keeping it there. I was ready to strike him down in a moment's notice.

"Ah ah ah, let's not starting beating each other just yet...that comes later. Now, we have to set aside our wagers. Seeing as yours will be fighting alongside you, I suppose you can be as inactive as normal. I, however, must deposit this." He held out his hand, the shimmering star of the firekeeper's soul resting in it. A sort of...illusory box appeared in front of him, which he put the soul in. The box disappeared almost as quickly, fading away.

I looked up at him. "And where exactly will I be picking that up later?"

He laughed. "Cocky as ever, eh? You'll find it when you're done, should you succeed in besting me. Should I win, however, I expect to find your sister over there waiting in this room for me. Alone."

"Fine."

Lautrec walked back to his two companions, drawing his swords again. "Now that that's settled, I guess it would be rude of me to keep you away from home for so long. I don't expect you to even lay a scratch on me, but I can't stop you from trying."

I turned to my side, looking at Resa. "If you don't hold me back, death might be a blessing for him."

"And you expect me to stop you? I'll take out the warrior if you want to deal with the sorcerer. Once they're dealt with, Lautrec will be the one that's outnumbered. If you want to beat him to a pulp, I'll help you."

"I know I don't say this enough...but I couldn't ask for a better sister. Plan sounds good, let's go."

I looked back towards Lautrec, my sword dropping to my side. If I could get close enough to the sorcerer, there was little he could do to me. Likewise, if Resa kept her distance from the warrior, she could take him down without getting in trouble. Then, it was simply a matter of ending Lautrec.

I rushed towards the sorcerer, ready to take them down. I didn't care who he was, what his name was...he was in the way, and I would take him down. He held up his catalyst, waving it about, clearly intent on casting some sort of sorcery. A moment later, and a homing mass of blue energy started lancing towards me. It looked nearly identical to the strange casters we'd seen in the church and the sewers...I reacted just like I would that, throwing up my shield. The missile diffused upon contacting my shield, only trace amounts of it actually getting to me. I continued charging forward, my shield now up in front of my face the whole way. Another missile blasted me before I reached him, about as ineffective as the first.

I was close enough now that there was little he could do, and I showed no mercy. I spun around, throwing momentum into my sword arm, before unleashing all of it onto Lautrec's companion. The robes he wore were fairly simple and ragged to begin with, but got only worse as my claymore lanced through him. A thick gush of blood immediately started pouring from the wound, soaking the robes.

I circled around the sorcerer, making sure Lautrec was in my sights at all times. He was coming towards me, willing to leave Resa alone for the time being. She was handling her adversary well, keeping back, while hurling lightning spears at him whenever there was an opening. Occasionally, she would jump in, getting a quick slash or two in with her sword before diving back out. The warrior held a flimsy shield and a spear, offering almost no protection from Resa's deadly flourish.

With Lautrec headed my way, I was intent on dropping his companion right in front of him. The sorcerer tried to disengage but I simply lunged forward, slashing at his right leg, dropping him to the ground. He held up his catalyst again, clearly intent on another sorcery.

I wouldn't let that happen though. I brought my claymore horizontally, slashing at the catalyst, managing to rip it from the sorcerer's hands right as the spell was finished casting. The missile that was spawned flew wildly into the air now that it had no direction, fizzling out against one of the pillars supporting the room. Now, defenseless and offenseless, the sorcerer was good as dead. I brought my sword down, landing it directly on the center of his head. I felt the resistance as I cleaved through his skull, and down his spine...until about halfway through, it all disappeared. The man faded away into souls, allowing my blade to clang against the ground.

Lautrec was about five feet away when this happened, pausing. "Well well, you've actually made something of yourself. I'm not surprised by this outcome, though I was hoping he might soften you up a bit more…" If a suit of armor could sneer, Lautrec's was.

"He was a sacrifice?"

"They both are. I simply need to know what I'm up against, and what better way to do that than to watch you fight for your life. You're very predictable, by the way. I suppose that's what happens when you overcompensate with a blade that large."

"People are not sacrifices Lautrec!" I rushed at him, swiping with my sword. He backstepped, just far enough that the tip of my blade grazed against his armor. "Life has meaning, though I guess you don't see that. What is life to you?"

"A method of power. The more lives I claim, the better mine becomes. You can't argue, can you? Think about all the undead you've killed to get here. Hundreds, easily. You know why I know? Because I've killed them too."

"They were hollow, no better than beasts. He was different, he was as alive as you or me." I swung again, as Lautrec deftly evaded my strike. I wasn't trying to take him down yet, though I wouldn't argue if I got a stray hit in. I was stalling...I could see Resa had the warrior on his last legs, and I was simply waiting until she was ready to take Lautrec on together.

"He was alive...but probably not for much longer. He was on his last legs, and I told him I'd let him prove himself by taking you two down in a duel. If I had to guess, you've probably made him go hollow. Aren't you proud?"

"You what!" I swung violently, forcing Lautrec to dive out of the way. "I've heard enough. I will end you, monster. What kind of man does something like that?"

"He was of no importance to me. It's a reality of the situation...there are pawns, and there are leaders. He was most certainly a pawn."

Just then, Resa laid the final blow on the warrior, felling him. She turned towards me, stowing away her sword and reaching for her talisman, giving me a knowing look.

"People aren't pawns, Lautrec...not unless they play into your traps." Just then, Resa's lightning spear soared through the air, lancing Lautrec right in the back. As he stumbled forward, I thrust my claymore ahead of me, spearing him right through the gut. "Like you." I looked up to Resa, who was walking towards me. "Light the sword up. Let's fry him."

"I've got one spear after this. I'll make it count." She brought up her talisman, launching another spear at my blade. As normal, I could feel the steel course with power for a moment, as Lautrec's entire body convulsed in pain, until eventually he slumped.

I threw him off my claymore, letting his body hit the ground, unmoving. Resa walked up to me, standing by my side. "I'd have thought he'd put up more of a fight. That was...easy."

I nodded, looking around. "How are we supposed to leave here...we've won, haven't we?"

"No."

I looked back, finding Lautrec, back on his feet. The maniac lunged at me, a free opening now that my back was turned. I felt both swords rip straight through my armor, plunging into the flesh underneath.

"Did you really think you could best me with a party trick like that? This will be easier than I thought."

There was nothing I could do...the sharp curve of his swords prevented me from ripping myself free of them, at least without ripping away unholy amounts of my own body in the process. I was trapped, at least until Lautrec decided to move onto another target. Thankfully, the pain wasn't nearly as bad as what I'd experienced in Lordran...it paled in comparison to the arrows that had punctured me earlier. As such, I was willing to wait it out...and see if I could do something about it.

I let my shield fall to the ground, along with my claymore, hoping that Lautrec would get cocky...expose himself even the slightest bit. "I'm surprised, Lautrec. We've taken down far more fearsome opponents than you with that move."

The man scoffed, wedging the blades in all the way to the hilt. "You're all talk, Flynn. How exactly do you expect to get out of this one?" I could feel him turn around, the pressure on the blades within me changing slightly. "If you even think about doing something, I'll rip him in half."

"So what...we're just going to sit here while you gloat? If you've won, just end it." Away from his view, I kindled the pyromancy flame in my hand, letting the dancing embers turn alight once again. I just had to wait for the right moment...and then I'd give him a taste of what my covenant taught me.

"I truly want to know. Did you expect to be victorious here? You weren't even able to catch up to me, and I felt like I took my time. How could a bumbling fool such as you hope to best me?"

"Because I don't give up!" I hurled my hand back, the writhing crimson flames in my hand begging to be unleashed. The fireball that sprayed out was as equally destructive as the one that I'd used earlier...the one that had singlehandedly destroyed a building. I could only imagine what it would do to a single undead. Lautrec was forced away from me by the sheer force, as well as the lava that began pooling on the ground by my feet. Once he was safely away from me, I reached back, carefully unsheathing the curved blades from my back.

I spun around, finding him lying on the floor, lava covering up bits of his armor. Some of it had even managed to seep into the holes in his helmet, causing him to writhe about in agony. I reached behind my back, pulling out the greataxe I'd been carrying with me. "You're done Lautrec."

I turned to Resa, the weighty ax in my hands. "I don't want to take this away from you. Together?"

She nodded, drawing out her sword. "I'll take the head, you take the waist. Deal?"

"Sounds good to me."

With that, I brought the greataxe down, at the same time Resa brought down her blade. Whereas she struck the neck directly, I hit him at the waist, effectively chopping him into three pieces.

Unfortunately, however, we never got to see the results. As soon as my axe hit him, the world began swiftly fading to black all around me, until it again began regaining color.

We were...right back where we were, standing on the upper staircase of the room. Everything had returned to normal, by the looks of it. However, I could feel that something else was here...something new. I looked about, seeing it. It was a distortion in the air itself, reminding me back to what Lautrec had done with the firekeeper's soul. I reached my hands out, towards the distortion, feeling a strange box floating in the air. There was nothing around me telling me that it was real...I simply knew it was. I opened it up, seeing the silver shimmer radiate through the air. Almost greedily I grabbed at it, holding it in my hands.

She was safe...finally, after so long, we had her soul back, and with Quelaag's help, she would be able to restore it. It felt so simple...and yet I knew that we still had to be able to leave Anor Londo for any of this to matter. Thus far, we'd seen no way to do so, but I couldn't give up hope, not after we'd gotten as far as we did.

I turned to Resa, nodding. "We've done it. Once we get back to Quelaag and restore the firekeeper, I'll help you in the catacombs, don't worry. You've helped me get this far, and I intend to help you go even further."

She chuckled slightly. "Okay Flynn. There was never a doubt in my mind. Now, let's get out of here. Where to?"

"Actually…" The strange box was still hovering in midair, as if it wasn't finished giving us what was required. Had Lautrec...I reached my hand inside, searching for something else. I found a small, metal object, which I revealed to be a ring. It was fairly simple in design, a simple metal band that flared out into a diamond at the top. "It appears this given to us as well. I'm not changing the rings I'm wearing...I couldn't afford to lose either of them. It's yours if you're interested, though."

Resa actually nodded, holding out her hand. "I want to remember this day. We both worked hard to get this far, and a physical symbol of our victory is meaningful, much like your shield. I'd like to wear it." She slipped it on, removing the blue teardrop ring she'd been wearing for so long. On her other hand was still the coiled snake, any strange effects we hadn't figured out quite yet.

"Alright, now as to what's next…" I looked around the room, sizing up our options. On the far end of the room was a hallway, leading away from the main room. The front and back of the cathedral were blocked by two massive doors, neither of which looked particularly inviting. Of course, there were still the two giants on the main floor, as well as the silver knight on the opposing stairwell. "Let's take out the knight first, and then clear out this room. If we can find a way to open up the front doors, we've got a pretty quick path back from the bonfire in the lower chambers, should we need it. I'd prefer that over running back through the cathedral again.

Resa nodded, gripping her talisman. "Oddly enough...it seems that none of the miracles I used fighting Lautrec are gone. I didn't have many left, but I feel fine right now. Let me give it a shot." She held the talisman up, conjuring a lightning spear that she lobbed at the unsuspecting knight. The spear bore directly through its head, ending it immediately. "Yeah...I think we're all good."

"That probably means I can use my pyromancies again, should I need to. Now, let's deal with the two giants. I'd race you, but these seem to be stronger than the normal ones. Can we cooperate, just this once?"

She rolled her eyes. "Alright, but only because you asked nicely. Next time, maybe not."

"I'll take those chances."

I moved down the staircase, approaching the first of the two giants. Unfortunately, they both turned towards me, two massive shields and halberds now pointed directly at me. Thankfully with the knights up above having been taken care of, I had more or less free range of movement on the ground. Knowing this, I circled around, trying to get the giants' backs to Resa.

One of them charged at me, but I held my ground. They moved fairly similarly to the other giants we'd seen thus far, and I knew how to deal with those fairly well. Right before it swung, it brought up its shield, trying to leave an opening for me to strike it. I dove through the gap, rolling slamming onto the ground behind it. As I got back up to my feet, its halberd swung, completely missing me.

I spun back around, now facing it, getting in a couple swipes with my claymore. I looked behind me, trying to find Resa, wondering why I hadn't received any cover fire thus far. As I'd expected, she'd moved to take on the second giant, deftly weaving in strikes while she danced around her foe's halberd.

"Sister, I thought we would stick together!"

"I'm keeping this one from attacking you! That's good enough, right?"

"I guess it'll have to be."

The giant spun turned around, ready to strike again. This time, it tried to bash me with its shield, sending the entire, massive weight crashing down upon me. I held my shield up above me, trying to bear the incredible weight pressing down from above. I fell to my knees under the pressure, swiping with my claymore while I was down. There was little I could do other than stand my ground, the giant's strength far exceeding my own. I continued slashing, able to reach its nearest leg effectively given the length of my blade.

Eventually, it gave up, realizing that I wouldn't be crushed, and that it would eventually bleed out from the wounds it sustained on its leg. I'd gotten in quite a few, and I was surprised to see that it was still able to stand upright with no problems. However, it did seem that I'd managed to give it a slight limp, a noticeable stagger now in every step that it took.

I capitalized on this, now able to strike more freely between its attacks, as there was more time before it had turned around to face me again. I managed to severely cut up its back, and it seemed like it was on its last legs.

However, just as I was striking it, it knelt down on the ground, a yellowish-white ring of light appearing at its feet. I watched on as the wounds it had sustained begun to completely vanish, until it seemed like I'd only barely touched it. I yelled out to Resa from across the room. "Be careful, it can cast miracles!"

I continued fighting it again, now much more careful about my actions...this could last a lot longer than I wanted it to. However, soon I'd brought it back to where it had been before, barely managing to get in swipes. When it knelt down to attempt to restore itself again, I was ready. I continued attacking, absolutely mercilessly, hoping that perhaps I could fell it before it was back to full health. I dropped my claymore, chopping at it with my greataxe, ripping away huge chunks of flesh with every swing.

Eventually, the miracle circle disappeared...as did the giant. It faded away into souls, leaving nothing behind. I picked up my weapons, putting my greataxe on my back, and turned to Resa. It seemed like she too had the giant on the ropes, though I had now way of knowing how many times she'd been in this position. I ran over, hoping that perhaps we could fell the giant before it could react.

Thankfully, it worked out as planned. It, too, knelt down on the ground, the circle that spawned around it signifying its intentions. Resa didn't even need prompting, clearly not intent on letting the giant get back up, together, the two of us were able to take it down, finally clearing out the room.

I looked around on the lowest level, finding a lever near the front door. "It seems we've found a way to get back here...one that doesn't involve fighting through a legion of knights. I moved over to the lever, pushing it forward. The massive, twin doors slowly creaked open, letting even more of the light from outside through. There were still the twin giants outside, which I had no intention of fighting right now, I backed off, retreating into the depths of the main hall.

Resa looked at me, sheathing her blade. "So, what now? There's the obvious door in the back that more or less screams 'You won't walk out of here', which we'll probably have to go through at some point."

I nodded. "There's still the locked gate outside that we never opened, and I saw a hallway leading in that direction up top. Before we go over there, I'd like to see what's down that path. If it's too much, we can ignore it."

"Well then let's go." We walked up the stairway, weaving our way around until we reached the top floor of the building, the lone hallway leading onwards. I advanced, walking down it to find a tower, a spiral staircase leading down. I heard clanging, metal on metal, in a rhythmic fashion. I'd heard those sounds only once before...Andre's smithery.

I advanced down the staircase, weaving my way around and towards the bottom. Sure enough, the clanging grew louder the lower we went, until eventually I could see the source of it. On the bottom of the tower was...a giant, almost identical to the ones we'd seen in Sen's Fortress. He was arched over a massive anvil, working away on a sword far too large for a man to wield.

I was put on edge...perhaps he was against us, arming the giants we'd seen outside. It would make sense...and yet somehow I hoped that wasn't the case. I approached the ground floor cautiously, my hand resting on the hilt of my sword in case it was needed.

"Greetings, Undead. Have you come seeking to refine your equipment?" He had a deep, booming voice, which reverberated around the tower. "Or...yes, I can feel it on you. Powerful souls, with weapons to bond them to. You are here for that, aren't you?"

I had no idea what he was talking about...but it seemed he was clearly friendly. "We're here to enhance our equipment, yes. What is that you're talking about, with souls?"

The giant laughed, finally stopping his work to give us his whole attention. "You possess a soul from an enemy you've slain, a powerful one. Show it to me...I have no ill will."

I nodded, finding the soul of the armor we'd taken down, holding it out in front of me.

"Yes...that is the one. I possess two embers, one of which can imbue blades with the power of lightning. The other, however, can bond souls to weapons, creating something entirely new. Tell me, what did this foe wield?"

"He used an axe...a massive axe."

The giant nodded. "And you possess and axe of your own, do you not?"

I nodded, reaching for the greataxe on my back. It had served me well, but...if it could be taken further, I was curious to see what the results were.

"I offer you this, Undead. I will take this axe, and that soul, and bind them. I cannot tell you what the results will be, all I know is that I will create a weapon far beyond what you currently possess."

I held out my axe. "I accept." The giant took the axe, as well as the soul of the armor, taking them to his anvil. He then turned to Resa. "I sense on one you too, Undead. Tell me, do you wish to see what I offer?"

She reached for the soul of the butterfly, letting it dance about in her hand. "This enemy did not possess weapons, though. I'm not sure what it could do."

"If it possesses no weapons, a shield usually responds to the process. Of course, I cannot guarantee this, but I can guarantee that neither the soul nor the weaponed are consumed if the process fails. So tell me, undead, do you accept?"

Resa held out her shield, which she'd been carrying with her ever since I'd bought it from the undead merchant so long ago. It was battered, beaten, and barely holding on. I could tell she was unsure, though, judging by the way she kept them close to her.

"Resa...you should do it. I'm surprised that thing's held together this long on its own, an upgrade might be what it needs."

"But...yeah, okay." She held out the shield, allowing the giant to pick it and the soul up. With all four items he needed, he turned around, setting them in his forge. It was hard to see what happened next, the giant's bulk blocking my view, but it seemed he was working with our equipment, doing whatever was needed for the process to complete. After some time, he turned back to us, holding two new weapons in his hands.

He held out the first to me, the axe. It had a marginally smaller handle than before, but also a much larger blade. In truth...it looked almost identical to axe the armor wielded when we fought it. I held my hand out, grasping the handle. It was heavy, that was no surprise...but not much heavier than before. I could still effectively hold it in two hands, finding the movements not much different than they were before.

The giant then turned to Resa, holding out a shield. It was...delicate, in a word. It was slightly larger than the shield she'd used before, though there were slight gaps in the working. The center of it was a perfect circle, with eight struts evenly spaced around the outside. The struts connected to a ring that surrounded the circle, which appeared to be made of an almost glassy material. My sister took it, but appeared somewhat skeptical. I had to admit, a shield with holes in it didn't seem very effective, especially against arrows.

The giant could sense her confusion as well. "I have seen this shield before, crafted from the soul of Moonlight Butterflies. Much like the creature that spawned it, it is delicate, fragile...but deadly. Attempt to launch the shield, but do not let go of it. You will see the true power it possesses."

She nodded, pointing her shield towards the roof of the tower. She acted out a punch with her shield arm, jabbing the strange shield forward. As she did so, the ring on the outside grew a brilliant white...and then turned illusory. As she rectracted her arm, a phantom version of the ring continued onwards, until it hit the ceiling. I could tell it left a mark...it seemed to be a viable weapon.

The giant continued on, after the demonstration. "As you see, you can throw the ring, and it will feel akin to being cut by a blade. Though it may not be a potent shield, it offsets this by being an effective weapon."

Resa nodded, now looking at the shield with a curiosity that she didn't have before. The effect seemed to fit her fighting style quite well...instead of using a lightning spear to keep foes at bay, she could hail them with an endless barrage of rings, softening them up for when she went in for the close-quarters kill.

The giant then turned to me, looking down at the axe I was holding. "I suspect you know what this does, as it is the axe of the Iron Golem, no? That axe has a special property to distort the wind with its very slashes, creating a deadly shockwave. Most who survive that fight are more aware of it than I am."

I nodded...we'd seen it once, when I was thrown onto the roof. It was like a slash of wind, and yet it was able to cut through the stone walls like a hot blade. The giant continued. "Unlike the shield, I ask that you not test the effect in here...the walls cannot take it."

I nodded, turning to Resa. This had been...productive, moreso than I could have possibly imagined. "I don't think I need anything else here. Are you ready to head back?"

"I'm curious about the other ember you spoke of...the one that imbues a weapon with lightning. Is it possible you can do such a thing to this?" She held out the blade she'd acquired, showing it to the giant.

Unfortunately, he shook his head. "The ember requires a blade of exceptional quality for the process to be successful...I can tell that little has been done to enhance the blade beyond its original state. However, when you have made it a truly fearsome weapon, I will be able to do as you wish."

Resa nodded, looking back to me. "That's all I had...I'm ready to go."

I looked up at the giant, bowing slightly. "Thank you for your generosity, blacksmith. I'm sure we will return to you in the near future."

"I have no doubts, Undead. And, should you need it, I possess a large assortment of the rarer titanites. You are welcome to trade for them should they ever prove necessary."

"Such as?"

"I possess green titanite, as well as twinkling. I also can provide standard titanite, though it seems most undead find no shortage of that."

Twinkling...Andre had said that it was used for somewhat rarer items, though it was always hit-or-miss. However, a supply of green titanite would be useful, especially given that I owed Resa some that I didn't even have.

"I thank you again, blacksmith. We'll be on our way."

We departed, ascending up the staircase, and back out into the main hall. All that remained was the door at the far end, leading further back into the cathedral. I looked at Resa. "Are you ready? Doors like that usually require that question to be asked."

She nodded, holding up her new shield. "I'm willing to give this a chance. It might not be the most defensive thing, but neither am I." She chuckled to herself, holding the shield up. "Plus, with your fancy new axe, we should be well equipped for whatever's waiting for us."

I nodded, though I kept my axe on my back for now. I still felt like a shield was absolutely necessary, and I couldn't reasonably do both. If an enemy was fearsome enough that a shield proved useless, however...then I could see myself using it. "Alright...let's go."

I walked towards the doors, down the stairways lining the walls. When I got to the door, I was surprised to find that I could open it with little trouble, pushing the massive hinge open. As the two of us slipped inside, it closed behind us, slamming shut.

We were in some sort of ballroom...much more decorated than the previous area. The main floor was about the same size, with pillars rising up to support the vaulted ceiling. There was a second level to the room, only wrapping around the outside wall, as if it was meant to be some sort of viewing area down below. There were three protrusions on the upper floor, lined with railing, as if it was meant to be where the elite stood, or perhaps royalty.

As I stood there, almost marvelling at the room, a figure emerged from the right side, apparently from a hidden chamber of some sort. He was massive...nearly as tall as the giant we'd just seen, and clad in golden armor. His armor was almost humanlike in appearance, the chestpiece decorated to look like a man's chest, albeit a rather overweight one. In his hands, however, was easily the largest weapon I'd ever laid eyes on. It was a two-handed hammer, with a head that was easily the size of my body. The hammer tapered off only to flare out again at the base, providing a massive, weighty head easily capable of crushing even the strongest of opponents.

As he walked out, another figure appeared, this one standing on one of the upper protrusions. This one, like the other, was clad in golden armor, but he was only slightly taller than we were. His armor seemed to indicate the features of a lion, with a faceplate heavily influenced by a feline head. In his hand was a spear, much larger and heavier than the flimsy thing Resa had once carried. The blade was nearly a foot long, a shining steel end capping the otherwise golden weapon. With an impressive deftness, the man leaped from the upper floor, landing on the ground with barely a sound.

"You have done well to make it this far, Chosen Undead, but we will end you now, like we have ended so many of your kind. Turn back now, and you shall be spared." It was the lion, standing next to the giant.

"There's no way back. We can't leave this place. What other choice do we have but to keep going forward?"

"Very well. We gave you the choice. You shall not leave this room alive." The lion held up his spear, clearly ready for combat.

I turned to Resa. "We have to split them up...if we leave one alone, we'll get taken down easily. You want the small one?"

"You mean the one that would run circles around you? Yeah, I'll take him off your hands. Just keep the big one occupied."

"I hope to do more than that." I circled around the arena, crossing in front of Resa as we each moved towards our prospective targets. The duo in front of us seemed to respect that...they weren't mindless demons like what we'd fought thus far, they understood that this was a duel, and honored it as such. Unlike Lautrec, however...I could tell they respected each other, or at least it seemed that way. It sounded like they'd repelled countless undead in this room...they had to have a trust for each other.

I moved towards the giant, opting away from my shield. Odds are, if I was crushed by the hammer, a shield would do little to keep me alive. I'd rather have use of the axe, and the abilities that it provided. I didn't know much about how to even activate the blade of wind, but I hoped it wouldn't be that hard to figure out.

Once we were sufficiently split apart, the duo charged at us, ready to begin. The lion was blindingly fast, able to almost warp in front of Resa, as blade and spear clashed immediately. However, the giant was a slow, lumbering force, plodding across the lower ground with his hammer held out in front of him. As we neared, he brought the hammer up, high over his head, preparing to end me as quickly as possible. I rushed forward, throwing myself on the ground towards his feet in an effort to evade the blow that was about to come down. As I scrambled to my feet, stone flew up from the impact, littering the area around us. I spun about, getting a deep cut into the giant's leg with the axe, although the blow barely even seemed to phase him. He was resilient, that much was obvious...but I was determined to get out of here alive.

* * *

 **Resa**

While Flynn battled the giant, I took on the lion, both of us weaving in and out of each other's attacks whilst trying to land our own. His spear had an incredible reach to it, forcing me to try and stay as close to him as possible so that he didn't have a ranged advantage on me. Several times, during the fight, I thrust my shield forward, launching an illusory ring towards the lion. That at least seemed to catch him off guard, giving me time to reposition myself for our next clash. I had a certain respect for him...he was stoic but powerful, as opposed to the brutality evident in the giant.

The lion leaped into the air and simply...hovered, but only for a moment. When he left, he somehow launched himself at me, flying across the room at an incredible speed. I rolled out of the way, diving behind one of the pillars, as the lion flew past me, skittering to a stop near the corner of the room. As I spun about, he held up his spear into the air, as a lightning spear seemed to form around his real one. As he threw the spear forward, the lightning spear carried on, launched directly at me. I held up my shield, not having enough reaction time to dodge out of the way, allowing the lightning to be absorbed by the strange shield. Thankfully, most of the force was dissipated, only a slight amount making it past my defenses.

I lunged towards him, hoping to close the distance once again. My blade clashed with his spear, the two of us battling for control of the situation. "Are...are you a Warrior of Sunlight?"

The lion simply laughed, muffled from inside his helmet. "One could say that, yes. Does that mean you are?"

"See for yourself!" I pushed my sword forward, sliding my entire body backwards against the ground. As I did so, I reached for my talisman, already conjuring the spear right when I grabbed it. In one fluid motion, I launched the spear at him, managing to catch him off guard. I went back to my shield shortly thereafter, launching a ring at him as I closed the distance once again.

The lion chuckled again. "Unimpressive. Return to the altar when you can...you are ready for the next step." He thrust his entire body forward, sending me sliding backwards.

"What? The 'next step"?"

"I won't spell it out for you any more than I have, Undead." The lion charged towards me again as I sidestepped his spear. I managed to get a cut in on his side, letting the blade rake across his armor. That was the first real strike I'd landed on him all fight...perhaps he was opening up.

My hopes were short lived, as I heard the sound of rock crumbling to the ground. I looked behind me, seeing Flynn desperately trying to outrun the giant, who's hammer was directly in front of him. He'd already managed to destroy a pillar in one strike, bringing it down to the ground. He was being chased directly towards me, the four of us about to collide.

"Never take your eye off the fight." As I looked back, the lion's spear was charging straight towards me, and I reflexively brought up my shield. However, his spear was aimed towards my feet, sweeping off my feet. He put his boot on my leg, pushing off to launch me across the room. "Time to test your brother."

As I slid, I passed both Flynn and the giant before managing to get to my feet. As I stood up, Flynn was knocked into the opposing wall by the giant's massive hammer, and the giant turned around to face me. It seemed we'd been swapped around, now tasked to fight the other pair of the duo.

As the giant charged towards me, I rushed in to get close. That hammer was absolutely massive, and there was no way he'd be able to hit me with it at close range. I dove in, getting two cuts on his legs, rolling around to his back while he completely missed me. This was...easy. I had plenty of mobility to weave in and out of combat, while the giant could barely manage to touch me. I kept diving in, avoiding his strikes, while managing to get two or three in of my own.

His legs began to get quite bloodied, my blade having cut at them scores of times by now. Occasionally the giant tried to catch me, leaping into the air only to slam down onto the ground again, giving me plenty of time to dive out of the way and dive back in again.

I lunged in one last time, narrowly avoiding the hammer that swung up from behind me. I cut at his legs two more times...and he fell to the ground. I ran out of the way as he crashed down, circling back around to face the lion. To my surprise, rather than continue fighting Flynn, the lion leaped into the air, charging towards his fallen ally...and then set down his weapon. I moved over to Flynn, watching as the lion knelt to the ground, hands clasped together in a solemn prayer.

"Resa...what's happening?"

"I wish I knew."

As the lion continued praying, eventually it seemed like he was growing...no, he was definitely growing. The giant's body began shrinking as well, until eventually they were the same size, and then eventually the giant completely faded from existence, the lion now the size of the giant. He stood up, spear now three or four times longer than I was tall, glaring down.

"I am Dragonslayer Ornstein, royal knight of Lord Gwyn. Your life is now forfeit."

It felt like he lunged at us at blinding speed, but really he just took two steps forward, thrusting his spear out in front of him. I rolled to the side as Flynn took the full force of the blow, spear clashing against shield. I launched a ring at Ornstein, trying to distract him. We could still win this...we'd made it through so many tough enemies together, and there was no reason why this would have to be any different. However, even though he was large, he was still as nimble as ever, capable of clearing the entire room in the blink of an eye.

Flynn put away his shield, reaching for the Golem axe. Taking a swipe at the air. A shimmer reverberated out of it, launching itself towards Ornstein...it seemed he'd figured out how it worked. I launched several more rings, the two of us bombarding him from afar. I eventually reached for my talisman, throwing several spears at him while the giant closed in on Flynn.

I rushed forward, entering the fray, lashing out at his feet. The one benefit of his increased size was that, like the giant, his feet were relatively safe to stay close to, due to the massive reach of his spear. Flynn and I both kept close, doing our best to stay near his feet while getting in hits. Unlike the giant, however. Ornstein was fast, and quickly would kick one or both of us away, sending us flying into one of the nearby pillars.

I launched a ring at him, recovering from my recent strike with a pillar. Ornstein was resilient...and we were getting beaten down. I took a moment to pause, holding out my talisman, doing what I could to heal Flynn and I both. We weren't terribly injured, but we were getting beaten down, and needed to get back into the fight.

As my wounds were healed, I rushed back in, ready to fight. We had to end this war of attrition...eventually, we would run out of pyromancies and miracles, and Ornstein seemed to have a limitless supply of jabs and thrusts. As I closed the distance to him, however, the lion lunged forward, managing to connect his spear with me by sheer speed. It slipped right past me, into my chest. He lifted me high up into the air, my body falling limp from the pain already wracking me.

"We gave you a chance to retreat. I will not." His entire spear lit up with lightning, my body convulsing and writhing about in pain. He finished by launching me, swinging his spear forward as I slid off the tip. I crashed into the back wall, slumping down. I wasn't down...somehow, I was more alive than I expected I'd be after that. I reached for my Estus, taking a deep drink of the liquid while a trickle of blood pooled around me. The bleeding quickly stopped, and I stood back up moments later, ready to get back into the fight. I launched another barrage of lightning spears and rings at him, until I felt unable to launch another spear from exhaustion. Still, I continued launching rings, each one crashing into him from afar, lacerating his armor with each strike. Thankfully, there was little he was able to do about that, the rings almost unavoidable from the endless onslaught that I could produce.

Just as I closed in, Flynn took a step back, swing his sword up in the air. The wave of air that followed crashed into Ornstein's head, knocking him somewhat off balance. Flynn followed up by letting the axe fall to the side, his pyromancy flame roaring to life. He hurled a fireball up at the lion's neck, as it exploded out into puddles of lava that dripped down the gleaming golden armor. Flynn followed up with another one, and that's when things finally turned our way.

Ornstein fell to the ground from our assault, a wave of lightning rippling out from the impact that barely fazed me. I rushed forward, however, climbing on top of his torso, trying to get a few strong hits in while the opportunity presented itself. However, the lion was quick to recover, leaping to his feet only a second or two later. I scrambled to climb up onto his shoulders, carrying myself with him, now positioned near the back of his neck.

I felt like I was climbing a mountain...a mountain that really wanted you off of it. With one hand on his spear, Ornstein reached for me, but I simply held out my blade, his hand stabbing itself on the weapon, recoiling in pain. I lashed at the shoulder of his spear-arm, trying to weaken his offensive capability as much as I could while I had a good position. Eventually, though, he began thrashing around, desperately trying to get me off of his back. With my footing about to falter, I bailed. On my way down, however, I dug my sword into his back, cutting straight through his armor, and into the flesh underneath. I rode it down all the way until his waist, where I was forced to simply fall to the floor.

Ornstein recoiled in pain from that, his back now gushing blood from my descent. As soon as I hit the ground I continued my assault, cutting at his legs with my blade. Flynn had never stopped, his axe brutally taking out his legs.

In a last ditch effort at survival, Ornstein tried to kick us away again, hoping to clear the distance and reset the fight. However, as soon as he was only on one leg, Flynn chopped at the other, throwing off his balance. He tumbled down to the ground again, spear falling out of his hands. Flynn took one final swing, and Ornstein dissipated away.

What remained, unsurprisingly, was a soul...the soul of Ornstein. Oddly enough, the giant hadn't left one behind, but I wasn't too concerned with that right now. I pocketed away the soul, as Flynn inspected something else. He held it up...it was a ring. "It has the symbol of a lion on it, unsurprisingly. Perhaps it's a crest of some sort."

I shrugged, looking around. There had to be some way forward...we couldn't be done yet. In the corner, I spotted it, an elevator column tucked away. It must have been how the giant first arrived, since I didn't see any doors that led elsewhere. The two of us went up the elevator, finding a bonfire positioned at the top of the room, as well as massive doors leading even further into the cathedral. We lit the bonfire, but didn't linger long, opting quickly heal our wounds before inspecting the room to the back.

Inside was...a woman, larger than even the giants we'd seen thus far. She was the epitome of royalty, splayed lavishly out to the side of a couch of unrealistic proportions, garbed in silken white robes. She was smiling when we entered, clearly not fearing we'd attack her.

"Greetings, Chosen Undead. You have triumphed over the challenges you've been presented, and emerged victorious. I am Gwynevere, Daughter of Lord Gwyn."

I knelt down...I didn't know a 'Lord' Gwyn, but I could only assume that he was royalty. As such, so was she. "Greetings, Gwynevere. We are Resa and Flynn, of Thorolund. I am sorry for intruding on you like this, I just - "

"You have done nothing wrong, undead. I have been waiting for those that are worthy to reach me, for you see...I have a favor that needs completed. Only those capable of getting this far have a hope of completing it. You may stand, Resa."

I nodded, getting back to my feet. Flynn looked up to her, curious. "What is this favor that you need completed?"

Gwynevere turned morose, a solemn expression shrouding her features. "My father is...ill, in a way. He has locked himself behind a door with no ordinary key. To do unlock the door, you must gather powerful souls, more powerful than even my knight, or my executioner. Once you have collected them, only then will you be able to save my father, Lord Gwyn."

"What do you mean, 'save him'?"

"Like you, he is an undead...one of the very first, actually. Like all undead, he is hollowing, slowly losing his mind. I can't tell you what needs to be done, for it is ages since I have last seen him. However, I trust that you will do what is necessary when the time comes. He guards the First Flame...it must always have a caretaker. If he is not fit to keep it burning, a new guardian must take its place."

Flynn nodded, continuing. "And where will we find these souls. What do you offer us in return for doing this?"

Gwynevere held out an object...a fairly plain bowl, with a bit of decoration around the ring. "I offer you the Lordvessel, which you will collect these souls in. As soon as you have it in your possession, you are able to travel between bonfires, simply by envisioning your destination. It will make your travels much easier. As for the souls...there are four, all of which you must collect. Gravelord Nito's soul resides in the Tomb of the Giants, past the Catacombs. The Witch of Izalith's soul resides in Lost Izalith, past Quelaag's Domain. The Four King's soul is in the New Londo Ruins, beneath Firelink Shrine. Finally, Seath's soul is in the Duke's Archives...right next to Anor Londo."

I spoke up this time. "And we don't really have a choice...because the Lordvessel is our only way to leave here."

Gwynevere shook her head. "I can have the bats take you back to Sen's Fortress, if that is what you wish, but that is the furthest they can travel. I ask you this because I need your help, and you are the ones capable of succeeding."

Flynn seemed unconvinced. "And when we're done...what happens with the First Flame?"

"The first flame needs someone to tend it. Without that, the age of the undead will surely extinguish. I cannot say for certain how the events will unfold...that I leave up to you."

I turned to my brother. "Flynn...we should. Think about it, what were we going to do after this, anyways? Sit down and try and live a peaceful life...I think I'd end up going hollow. We still have to go through the Catacombs, and you can still go back to Quelaan and Quelaag. There's just more that we can do while we're there."

He nodded…"Yeah, you're right. I don't know what I'd do without a goal in mind."

Gwynevere extended the Lordvessel, which Flynn took hold of. "You will be able to place it beneath Firelink Shrine...simply look for the pool of water, and step through it. I do not ask you to hold it for long." Flynn took it, shouldering it on his back.

"Thank you, Chosen Undead. Please, help my father...help the Undead."

With that, we returned, to the bonfire right outside. We sat down, looking at each other. "So, we need to get to Firelink Shrine it sounds like. Gwynevere said we have to focus on our destination...is it really that easy?"

I shrugged. "Only one way to find out." I closed my eyes, envisioning the shrine...the warrior, Laurentius, Griggs, Domhnall, as well as the surroundings. I felt a slight distortion in my core, as if some unworldly force was tugging at my very essence. When I opened my eyes, I was at the Shrine, Flynn sitting next to me.

"That was easier than expected. I think I know where she was talking about, with the pool of water. Let's go ahead and drop this off so we don't have to carry it anymore." I moved towards the back of the shrine, towards an area we'd mostly avoided. Inside, however, was a pool of water...but not for long. The ground seemed to open up as soon as we got close, water pouring out into a black abyss beneath it.

I turned to Flynn. "I'm guessing we have to step through it. Would you mind leading the way?"

"I think this is a situation where 'ladies first' should apply."

I rolled my eyes, stepping up to the brink. I trusted Gwynevere...she seemed more earnest and truthful than anyone else we'd seen really. "Just remember this as the time your sister was more brave." With that, I leaped into the pit, being swallowed up by the darkness. Up above, I watched as Flynn immediately followed after me...it seemed I'd gotten the best of him after all.

I was in the darkness for quite a while, absolutely nothing around me to signal whether I was falling or not. Eventually, however, I strange white orb formed around me, slowing me to a stop. I was deposited at some sort of altar, roots intertwined around to form a sort of basket. On one end of the room, was a door...clearly the one that was locked.

A few seconds later, Flynn descended, landing near me. He looked around, almost instinctively moving towards the roots. "If this doesn't belong here, then I'll be a little mad."

He set the Lordvessel down in the roots, nesting perfectly together. A dim light swelled up from the vessel, but remained barely flickering. It seemed we had a lot of work ahead of us.


	17. Chapter 17

**Flynn**

 **SL52 - 23 VIT - 15 ATT - 23 END - 30 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL52 - 19 VIT - 19 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 20 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 30 FTH**

 **Flynn**

I focused in on the Lordvessel I'd just placed down...for some reason, it felt like a bonfire, even though there wasn't a flame in sight. Gwynevere had told us that, even after we weren't carrying the Lordvessel, we'd still be able to use its power, travelling amongst bonfires at will. Perhaps that was why...it was our only way out of here.

I looked back to Resa. "Before we head for the Catacombs, and the Tomb of the Giants, I assume we both have a few errands we need to run. I'd like to talk to Laurentius, and obviously I need to go visit Quelaag. While I'm there, I'll visit Quelaan as well. Anything for you?"

She nodded. "Ornstein had mentioned something about the Sunlight Warriors...and that I should go visit them. I don't know much else besides that, but I think it's worth a visit. I want to check in with Griggs and Domhnall, as well...hopefully they're still doing alright."

"Okay. Let's travel back to Firelink shrine then. After that, we might have to walk the rest of the way...I don't know if the power of the Lordvessel will allow us to split up. I don't think it's too far for either of us, thankfully."

She shook her head. "The Undead settlement should be easy to get through unscathed now, and I only have to make it to the tower. I'm comfortable walking the whole way if you are."

"I am. Alright, let's go." I focused on on the Lordvessel, closing my eyes...trying to visualize the Shrine in my head. The slight dizziness returned, signalling that it'd work, and I confirmed that when I opened my eyes. We were back at Firelink Shrine...somehow. Resa and I went our separate ways, as I first went to talk to Laurentius. The pyromancer was seated near a tree, catching some shade from the sun. When I approached, he practically lit up, as if waking from a slumber.

"Greetings, friend. For how long you've been gone, I take it you've been quite busy? How goes your training?"

"Very good Laurentius. I'm here to see if you can't help me increase the power of the flame even more...I'm willing to bet that I've collected quite a few souls since we've last met."

He smiled...I could tell he was proud of me, in a strange sense. "Well then, let's see what I can do for you. Take a seat."

I did so, the two of us bringing forth our flames. We'd already done this once before, after I'd returned from Blighttown. It seemed the process hadn't changed much, though the intensity of it was much stronger. Laurentius began drawing forth the souls I'd collected, a steady white stream beginning to coalesce around his flame, as they left my body. A few seconds later, and he began channeling them into mine, as they were eaten up by my flame. I could see my flame growing brighter ever-so-slightly, until eventually the process stopped.

"That, my friend, is all I can do for you. At this point, your flame glows as bright as mine...perhaps even a little bit brighter, though it's hard to tell. Tell me, you haven't run into Quelaana, have you?"

I shook my head, before a thought came to my mind. "Not yet, no...but I am about to leave for Blighttown. If, by chance, I run into her, I'll be sure to let you know."

"One last thing, before you go. I've noticed now...you seem to have some sort of pyromancy, one I haven't heard of before. I could sense it within your flame, something truly...chaotic. Where'd you come across that, if I may ask?"

"I met Quelaan, leader of the Chaos Servants Covenant. It was a gift, in exchange for the help I'm giving her. She lives past Blighttown, near her sister Quelaag."

The pyromancer nodded. "I'll have to see if I can't talk to her sometime soon. I'm always looking to expand my own repertoire, of course. Safe travels to you, Flynn."

I nodded, waving him goodbye, as I began walking towards Blighttown. I passed the broken bars of the firekeeper's chamber...now was finally the time when I could bring her back. I still had her soul, tucked safely away...it was time to finally fix this. I descended down the elevator, into the dark area below. This must have been 'New Londo', that Gwynevere had mentioned. It was the only thing I knew of that was beneath Firelink shrine...it had to be. However, now wasn't the time, as I moved back around, finding the staircase leading out, and into the ravine. I continued walking, across the ravine, until finally I was on the very outskirts of Blighttown.

The descent down wasn't terrible...the enemy's we'd faced were mere child's play after having gone through Sen's Fortress and Anor Londo. Eventually, I reached the top of the windmill-like structure, descending to the ground. On my way down, however, I saw something new, something that wasn't there when we were here last time. It was a figure, cloaked in tattered black robes, leaning up against one the pillars closest to the base of the windmill. It seemed to luck up at me while I was descending...as if I was expected.

When I reached the base, I moved towards the figure, having to wade through only a small portion of the toxic sludge to make it. As soon as I was close, I heard a feminine voice speak. "I sense your flame, Undead...you are worthy of my teaching. Please, bear your flame."

I held out my hand, revealing the pyromancy flame in my hand. "Who are you?"

She responded, standing up to get a closer look at my flame. "You already know the answer to that, don't you? I'm Quelaana...and you are ready. For a small sum, I can grow your flame even stronger, allowing you to use some of the spells that I can offer. Will you accept?"

I nodded. I had to tell Laurentius...I'd found her. Hopefully, he would too. He'd been the one to have gotten me this far, it was only right that he too be able to find the one that he was searching for.

Quelaana held out her hand, a pyromancy flame roaring to life. It was much greater than mine...instead of a flickering flame dancing about in the palm of my hand, her flame was about half the size of a clenched fist, dwarfing what Laurentius had just given me. Like before, I could feel souls being drawn out of me, coalescing around her flame into a white cloud. As she shot the souls into my flame, the fire bloated in size, growing several times what it was, but still nowhere close to what Quelaana possessed.

"Good...your flame is now far stronger than it was before...though I sense you can see that you still have further to go. This will require more souls, of course...more than you currently have." However, I can offer you spells, now that your flame is strong enough to handle them. Based on what I'm seeing…" She reached into the folds of her cloak, pulling out two separate scrolls. "These would be of use to you. Both have potent effects when used at close range. Take a look, if you'd like."

She held them out to me, giving me a chance to read them. One was titled "Great Combustion"...it seemed like it was all in the name. A bright flash of flame bursts forth from the hand, torching everything a few feet in front of it. The second, "Fire Whip", seemed fairly similar. A braid of fire would drop down from the pyromancy flame, allowing the wielder to lash it against a target, where the whip would break away and burn them. Both seemed extremely useful, giving me a variety of ways to take on troublesome foes. I didn't need anything with a long range...with Resa's spears and her shield, she had that covered.

"Can I afford both?"

Quelaana paused, but nodded. "You are interested, I can tell. Yes, you may take both, though that is all. May them serve you well in your travels."

"I'm sure they will. There may be a man coming to see you soon...Laurentius, of the Great Swamp. He was my teacher, and came to Lordran searching for you. Please, help him as you did me."

"If he is worthy, then he will recieve my teachings. That is all that I can promise you, Undead."

I nodded...it wasn't reassuring, but it was clear that I wouldn't be able to change her mind. I left, wading through the poisoned waters, evading the boulders that were thrown at me by the ogres, until I made it into the entrance of Quelaag's tunnel. Inside, I continued forward, the walls of spider's silk feeling far more welcoming than they had the last time I'd been through here. Eventually, I reached the main opening, where Resa and I had first seen Quelaag.

I kept my weapons down, approaching the rear of the chamber empty-handed...I didn't want to be mistaken as a threat. After a short while, I heard the familiar rumbling coming from deep within her domain, as Quelaag emerged a short while later.

As the half-spider, half-woman emerged, she instinctively brought up her sword, staring me down. "You've come for the Bell...haven't you? This is as far as you'll go."

I shook my head, hands held up in the air unaggressively. "No, Quelaag...I've returned. You told me if I brought you the soul of the slain firekeeper, you'd be able to bring her back."

At this, the woman's guard immediately dropped, her sword falling to rest on the spider's body. "Yes, I remember. Flynn, if I'm not mistaken? If I recall correctly, you had a companion when you were here last. Have you two…"

"We're running our separate errands, nothing more. Anyways, are you still able to help?"

The woman nodded, beckoning me towards the back of the cave. "Of course. I must congratulate you on defeating...Lautrec, wasn't it? I remember him being a tough opponent. I must imagine it was not easy to defeat him. Anyways, I will need the firekeeper's soul, of course, as well as a personal belonging. In my experience, clothes tend to work quite well. They also will help with...modesty, as you can imagine."

I nodded...thank goodness for my helmet. "We held onto her clothing, yes. I'll fetch it from Quelaan's bonfire."

Quelaag nodded, and I walked on, through the doorway at the end of the cavity, emerging near the Bell of Awakening. I wrapped around until eventually I was back near Quelaan, still grasping onto life with everything she had.

" _Oh Flynn...you've returned. I hope you have stayed safe while you were gone."_

I nodded, stopping by the bonfire to continue the conversation. "I have, Quelaan. How have you fared? I have a few humanity I've picked up during my travels, if you'd like."

She waved her hand as if to say 'no', but I could tell that even the simply motion required a great deal of energy. " _I can't ask that of you, no. I've still got life within these bones...that is all I ask for."_

I reached for my humanity...I had to be able to save her. I didn't care how much effort it would take, but I had to. She'd suffered for so long, all because she had a heart of gold. It wasn't right that she was the one clinging to life, while I took so many. "I insist. Please, take them, and get better. I won't take no for an answer." I held the sprites in an outstretched hand, and they didn't even give her a chance to respond. Upon seeing such a sickly creature, they leaped from my hand, merging into her flesh. Just like last time, there was the briefest hint of color that returned to her, a whisper of what she was like when she was healthy...only to vanish nigh instantaneously.

" _Thank you, Flynn. With your help, and the other Chaos Servants, perhaps someday the people of Blighttown will be free of the plague-infested waters."_

At that moment, I faltered...she didn't realize that Blighttown had been completely consumed by...whatever now lived there. Nobody'd ever told her that she was fighting a battle that had already been lost, and yet she still fought it.

As much as it pained me, I had to let her keep living that false reality. If she found out that she'd wasted countless years of life her for nothing, it would easily be enough to drive her hollow...I know it would me. "Only dregs remain, Quelaan. It won't be much longer until you've saved them all."

She smiled...barely able to move her mouth, but a smile nonetheless. " _Wonderful. I miss being able to spend time with Quelaag. She's brought me so much humanity from the Undead coming to ring the Bell...I wish she didn't have to fight for me anymore."_

That was another piece of information I didn't know...but it made sense. She guarded the Bell, not to protect it, but for the humanity. I didn't want to think about Quelaan's fate had Resa and I slayed her sister. "I promise I'll return to you again, with more humanity. If Blighttown is saved, I know that you can as well." With that, I reached into the bottomless box, retrieving the Firekeeper's clothing. They were little more than dingy, bloodstained rags, but they would have to do.

" _Thank you again, Flynn. You've brought me hope."_

I nodded on my way out...I was surprised that I'd had such an impact on her, though I didn't know just how many Chaos Servants there were in Lordran. Perhaps it was only me and Kirk, or perhaps there were hundreds...it was hard to tell just how much of a reach she had.

I returned back out to the main area, where Quelaag was waiting. As I approached, I held up the dingy garb, as well as fetched the star-like soul that I'd held carefully tucked away. "Is this all that you need?"

She nodded. "Set them out...this won't take long."

I complied, splaying the clothing out, placing them as if there was a figure inside to fill them out. Quelaag beckoned for the soul, which I handed over. I trusted her...I had no reason not to.

"My mother...you may have heard of her as the Witch of Izalith...she once attempted to spawn life from the First Flame, though her experiments were far from successful. They are why me, as well as my sister, are bonded with the souls of demons. However, I've learned that she wasn't going in the wrong direction. Life cannot be spawned from the fire, but it can be brought back...I've learned how to restore a life, but not create one. That is what my mother did not realize...and why she ended up far worse than me or Quelaan. Now, if you'll be silent, this does require focus."

I nodded, taking a seat along the walls of the chamber. Quelaag reached for her sword, with one hand, holding out the soul with the other. With a flick of her wrist, the sword was promptly wreathed in flames, billowing out from the otherwise unimpressive blade. She held the weapon up to her face...and blew. The fire wafted across the soul, seeming to defy all logic as they swirled about, until eventually the soul was wrapped in a cocoon made of fire. Setting the sword down, Quelaag brought both her hands up to the cocoon, beginning to press them together. Eventually, her hands were clasped, only the barest hint of fire illuminating the gaps in her fingers.

"It is ready...she will be reborn. Again, this will not happen quickly, but I assure you the process was successful." Quelaag rushed over towards the clothing, crouching down on her legs to slide the soul inside. For the brief moment that I could see it, I could tell it was brighter, an intense light now shining forth from the very core of the soul. Whatever Quelaag had done, it clearly had had some effect.

Over the next minute or so, I could watch the progress of the soul, almost like a germinating plant. Even though it was hidden beneath the clothing, I could see from the bottom of the dress and the arm holes that the light was growing more intense, until eventually I could see it physically swell in size. The dress began filling out, first the torso, and then the legs, until eventually appendages began to form. They were wrapped in the same fiery cocoon as before, glowing with such an intense brightness that it hurt to watch. Eventually, I was actually forced to look away, hiding my eyes from the rebirth of the firekeeper.

"I'm...alive?"

I looked back...the blinding light was gone. Instead, all that remained was the firekeeper. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Quelaag scurrying away, clearly not wanting to frighten the newly-reborn woman.

The firekeeper sat up, holding her hands out in front of her, marvelling at such a simple thing. It wasn't long after until she noticed me, her eyes lighting up.

"Flynn!" She rushed over to me, wrapping her arms around my amor. That's when it dawned on me...she was speaking. Somehow, whatever Quelaag had done had restored her tongue, and thus her speech. Her words were warm and comforting...somehow, exactly like I'd expected them to be.

"You...you remember me?"

The firekeeper leaned back, nodding. "I remember dying...and I remember everything before that. Up until now, however, it's only fleeting memories. I was in sewers, and I was here...and I was in the most beautiful cathedral I'd ever seen. I can't remember details of those times, only vague images." She looked up, piercing me with brilliant blue eyes. "Why did you chase after me for so long? I remember precisely when my soul fell into your possession...you were following him for so long."

"I had to...I couldn't let him get away with murdering you. I had to right that wrong. I was told that firekeepers were a precious gift to this world, and that losing one was terrible. Seeing you...I have to agree."

She laughed pleasantly...the longer we spoke, the more of a fool I'd make myself out to be. "There are very few of us, that much is true. As I'm sure you know, the death of a firekeeper causes the bonfire they were tending to become dormant...only we have the power to relight them. Also...it's Anastacia, of Astora."

Anastacia...what a pretty name. "Well...I'm glad you're safe. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you before, I - "

"That's enough of that. I know you wish to protect me, but what happened was out of your control. I have no ill will towards you, Flynn...you were the one that saved me. Now, I should return to my bonfire, so that it can bear flames once again."

I nodded, the two of us standing up. Even though she'd just been brought back to life, she seemed as strong as ever, able to walk on her own without my assistance. It seemed that Quelaag restored her, not to as she was...but to whom she was supposed to be. Her voice had returned, the strength she'd lost from being locked inside that cell had come back...this was Anastacia.

We left Quelaag's caves, returning back out to Blighttown. There, with her willingness, I did carry her across the poisoned swamp, until we were safely rising up from the ground. The climb out of Blighttown wasn't too strenuous, and eventually we both made it back to Firelink Shrine. There, she insisted we go our separate ways, though I wouldn't let her leave without taking some sort of weapon to defend herself. I pulled out the spear Resa had used so long ago, handing it over to her. With a gentle hug, she went on her way, moving to ascend up to Andre's tower, so that she could finally watch over the fire once again.

* * *

 **Resa**

As Flynn went to talk to Laurentius, I lingered in Firelink Shrine for a bit longer...we hadn't been here in quite some time, and I wanted to make sure that all the people we'd saved from Oscar's grasp were still safe.

First on my list was Griggs, the sorcerer we'd saved in the lower streets of the Undead settlement. Usually, he sat not far from the bonfire...but I couldn't find him.

As I was searching, eventually the warrior noticed my confusion. "Are you looking for something, miss? You seem to have lost yourself a bit."

I turned around to face him, nodding. "Griggs...of Vinheim. He's a sorcerer. Do you know where he ran off to?"

To my dismay, the warrior shook his head. "He left not too long ago...I think. Rambling about how we'd felt the powers of some 'Master Logan' fellow returning. He ran off towards the church, can't say much past that."

I nodded...if he'd heard tell of Master Logan, then that's all I needed to know. Griggs had been searching for him since we'd found him...hopefully he'd be happy once he met his fabled master. "Thank you for the information. I'm sorry to trouble you."

The warrior shook his head. "I'm glad that I could help. Stay safe, if you can manage it."

I nodded, departing for the Undead settlement. Along the way, though, I wanted to meet up with Domhnall again...and see if he'd made any discoveries since we'd last met. The way there was fairly easy, the jump that I had to make to get beneath the bridge now even easier than I remember it being.

As I approached him, however, I could see that he'd made quite a bit of progress...more than I could have expected. Set up on small stands were three distinct suits of armor, all of them extremely familiar to me. On one, stood the Iron Golem's suit of armor, scaled down to the point that Flynn or I could wear it if we so desired. On another, sat Ornstein's armor, again scaled to undead sizes. On the third, sat the Executioner's armor likewise smaller. All were near-perfect replicas of the armor sets that we'd fought not that long ago...shockingly accurate portrayals of our most recent foes.

"Aye siwmae. It's been some time, hasn't it? I see you inspecting my newest wares...interested?"

"How did you...make those?"

"I've done a bit of travelling myself. Found my way to Anor Londo, and met those two. Can't say we talked too much, but I saw enough to replicate the armors. I've got a knack for it, I suppose you can say. But a suit of armor like that...I don't think I'd ever forget that."

So he was there around the same time we were...likely a bit before. "You said these were for sale?"

He nodded. "Aye. I can make more, but I'd like to see if I can't find a buyer for these. Why, are you interested?"

I nodded...two of them stuck out to me, one for each of us. "The Golem...and Ornstein."

"I see you're a woman of taste then. I'll admit, Smough's armor isn't the most glamorous of the three, but it's incredibly durable. Are you sure I can't interest you in all three?"

Smough...that must have been the Executioner's name. How Domhnall heard it, I might never know. "No thank you. Not much my brother can do with two sets of armor."

"I understand, of course. Perhaps I'll find someone else later. Anyways, I'll get them ready for you." He began fiddling with the armor, and I could feel the souls draining away from me at the same time. Domhnall was a smart businessman...he knew how to sell his products. However, Flynn needed a new set of armor badly, especially if we ran into any more people Oscar had imprisoned. The sooner he was out of the Astoran Knight's armor, the better. For me, however...I simply wanted Ornstein's armor. It was regal and proud, but not to the point of being flamboyant. Sure it might be a touch bulky on me...but that was something I was willing to accept. The metal armor would be more forgiving of errors in my fighting style, providing much more protection than the leather armor I was in now.

Eventually, Domhnall held both suits of armor up, somehow. "I'll take them to the bonfire for you, but after that they're you're responsibility."

I nodded, as he led me out from beneath the bridge, dextrously making the jump across even while carrying one of the suits of armor. He was true to his word, however, swiftly returning to his place beneath the bridge once he had deposited them by the bonfire.

Once he was gone, I deposited the Iron Golem's armor into the bottomless box, storing it away for Flynn to acquire later. However...I wanted to get use to Ornstein's armor, and a walk through the Undead settlement would be a perfect chance to test the new feel of the armor. I took the suit, walking down to the lower level where the firekeeper once sat, changing into the metal garb. I declined to don the helmet, however...I felt more comfortable without it.

The rest of the armor, however, was much more comfortable than I'd expected. The inside was fairly well padded, giving my flesh plenty of space from the cold metal exterior. Domhnall had also done a fantastic job at giving plenty of maneuverability in the shoulders, elbows, and knees...though the armor was far more clunky than I was used to, it was hard to tell from inside. The legs were guarded by a sort of skirt on either side, protecting from stray attacks, while a raised piece around the shoulders protected the sides of my neck...it seemed that Ornstein might have had a fear of being flanked.

As I took my first steps in the new armor set, I walked up towards the settlement, getting a feel for the armor. There were certain things I wouldn't be able to do...my knees were somewhat constricted, but I still had plenty of room for the rolls and dodges that I'd become accustomed to. Fighting against the somewhat-helpess undead that guarded the way to the settlement only further proved that I had all the tools at my disposal to fight, taking them down without even breaking a sweat.

Eventually, I made it to the bonfire tower in the settlement, rising up the ladder to move beneath the bridge. There was still a chance that there was a dragon up there...one that I didn't feel comfortable taking on alone. I carefully ascended the staircase, until I was finally atop the bridge. Thankfully, the dragon wasn't there, though I knew full well that that didn't mean it wouldn't show up.

I didn't want to take chances, however. Lingering on the bridge could only makes things worse, which is far from what I wanted to do. As soon as the coast was clear, I sprinted down the bridge, running towards the Warriors of Sunlight. There were a few undead left on the far end of the bridge, letting loose a volley of arrows. I simply let them connect with my armor, not bothering to worry about them as I made my dash to safety.

I skidded to a stop once I was beneath cover, narrowly avoiding tripping into the flickering flames of the bonfire. That was something I would have to get use to...metal armor didn't give as much traction as leather. I moved to the broken statue just past the bonfire, kneeling down.

"Covenant leader...I've returned. I was told my a man to return to you, and that I was worthy of more. What did he mean?"

I heard the voice inside my head, echoing about. " _You have returned, my child. Yes, I can sense that you've grown stronger...much stronger. However, whether you are worthy or not is yet to be determined. Tell me, have you upheld the creed of the Warriors of Sunlight, or have you abandoned it for your own self interests?"_

I'd never forgotten the creed...perhaps at times I'd slipped around it, but it was always within the forefront of my thoughts. "I've met many people in this world, and I've done everything I could to help those that deserved it. We've met several people that have been wronged, and I've helped them get back to safety. I've done what I could to protect my brother from the dangers of Lordran...is that enough?"

" _It is not about whether it is enough, my child...every undead in this world can use help, but it is your job to decide whether they deserve to be helped. The wretched deserve what is coming to them, but the helpless do not. Tell me, child...have you met a wretched?"_

I nodded. "We met a man...he murdered a firekeeper. I never helped him, because his heart was foul. My brother and I hunted him down, to try and restore the firekeeper's life. My brother is restoring her right now."

" _And this firekeeper...do you intend to help her?"_

"I can tell that my brother is fond of her, though he may not admit it. I intend to do everything in my power to keep her safe."

There was a long pause, until eventually the voice returned again. " _Your heart remains golden, my child. You are worthy of more of my teachings. I will bestow upon you Greater Lightning Spear. Use it to smite the evils of this land...you are worthy of this and more, but there is little more that I can teach you. You have done well, my child...your legacy is only beginning."_

When I opened my eyes, I wasn't surprised to see yet another piece of parchment lying in front of the broken statue. As I unraveled it, I again found myself able to read the shifting text, my mind understanding what my eyes could not. It described a lightning spear, one even more potent than what I was already accustomed to. The gestures required were fairly similar to what I already knew, but with a slightly longer flourish at the end.

"Thank you, leader. I won't disappoint you."

I waited for a response, but it seemed our conversation was done for now. I departed, opting to go through the church this time, and avoid the possibility of the dragon entirely...I didn't want to die and force Flynn out of whatever he was doing.

I continued forward, moving through the church. Much like before, I ignored as many of the undead that were around as I could...they didn't prove too challenging anyways. Eventually, I was within the church proper, avoiding the knights that tried to block my path.

Once I reached the elevator down, however...it was already in use. Both doors were blocked off, the sound of chains grinding about telling me that the system was in motion. It wasn't much later that eventually the chains grinded to a stop, one of the two carriages reaching the top.

Inside was...the firekeeper. She was as alive as ever, bundled in her bloodstained clothes, wielding a spear that very clearly was my own. It seemed Flynn had armed her before they went their separate ways. As soon as we met eyes, her own lit up, practically elated to see me.

"Resa!" She ran over, wrapping her arms around me in a tender hug. I'd never heard her speak before...I'd always assumed she was a mute. Her voice was soft and tender, befitting of what I'd expected her to sound like.

I pulled back, still being held by the shoulders by the slightly shorter woman. "I see you're...alive. Are you feeling fatigued at all? I can heal you, if you need it."

She shook her head. "No, I'm feeling fine...much better than I was before, as you'd expect. I didn't ask Flynn, but is there a reason you two are split up right now?" She quickly covered her mouth, as if regretting what she'd just said. "Please...please don't tell me you're at odds with him. I don't think I could take that."

I shook my head. "No, nothing like that, I just had something I needed to do, while he clearly did too. I was just going to rendezvous back at the Shrine. I'm guessing you're heading back to the bonfire?"

She nodded. "That is my duty...I will follow it. Pray tell, where are you going after this? It may not seem like it, but I've gathered quite a bit of hearsay from the travellers that pass by the Shrine."

"We're going to the Catacombs...an acquaintance of mine was taken there, and suggested that she would need a way out."

The firekeeper nodded. "Yes, I've heard of that place. It's not too far from Firelink Shrine, just past the graveyard. You are a practitioner of faith, yes?" After a nod, she continued. "From what I've heard, the Catacombs is home to a cult of necromancers, with an army of skeletons at their command. A weapon capable of breaking the unholy has proven to be quite useful."

That was actually extremely helpful information...it seemed I'd be using the falchion while I was down there. "I possess something that fits the description...I'll certainly take it with me. Thank you for the tip…"

"Anastacia. Anastacia of Astora."

"Yes. Thank you, Anastacia. And please, stay safe. I know my brother gave you that spear...I used it myself. I'll pray that you don't have to."

The firekeeper smiled. "Thank you, Resa. I'm sure your words will not go unheard."

With that, we went our separate ways, as she continued on towards the bonfire, whereas I moved to the elevator, beginning to descend. Anastacia...of Astora, no less. She reminded me of Solaire in the vaguest of senses, exuding an aura of calmness that practically enveloped me when I was near her. I wanted to believe that Oscar was the same way...that somehow, he was simply misguided, but all the evidence we'd picked up said otherwise.

Eventually, the elevator came to a halt, and I exited, moving back to the shrine. There was no surprise when I saw Flynn already standing around by the bonfire, awaiting me. He was taken back by the gleaming, golden armor that he saw, however...I'm sure it was a surprise for him. As I approached, he nodded approvingly.

"I'm surprised, sister...I didn't think you'd move for the heavier armors. Tell me, was Ornstein really that inspirational for you?"

I shook my head. "No...I just figured it was time to move into something a bit more durable. As it turns out, I bought something for you too...I suppose you could say it's a bit more durable as well."

"Really? More durable...than this?" He gestured to the Astoran Knight's armor. "I'm actually a bit curious what you've gotten your hands on."

I moved over to the bottomless box, fishing for the Iron Golem's armor that I'd tucked away. The box seemed to warp and dilate as I pulled the pieces of black iron out, setting them one-by-one next to the box.

"Well...I guess you're right. Where did you find these...we both know the Golem wasn't that small when we fought it."

I pulled out the helm, shutting the lid of the box. "Domhnall created them...seems he was in Anor Londo shortly before we were. I'll have to admit, he did quite a good job. I'm far more nimble in this than I would have expected. Now, are you going to ogle the armor, or do you intend to put it on sometime?"

"Yeah yeah...give me a second." He reached for the armor, moving to where I had changed into my armor earlier.

A minute or two later, he emerged, garbed fully in the Iron Golem's armor. The armor made him appear extremely top-heavy, with a bulbous chestpiece and a slim waist. However, there was no denying it...he was as durable as ever. I could tell, just by looking at it, that the armor was nigh-impenetrable, and for whatever slipped past the armor, there was his shield and sword.

"Well...this is a bit more than I'm used to, but I'll get use to it. Doubt I'll be doing flips and rolls like you can...but I don't foresee anything that I'll need to dodge. I think I can just take the hit."

"Good to hear. I...I learned a tip from Anastacia, about the Catacombs." Just from hearing her name, I could see his interest pique, his helmet now intently staring at me. "She said that a divine weapon would be almost necessary for success...I'm guessing that means I might have to take to the fore while we're in there. Are you okay with that?"

He immediately slouched down, his shoulders sagging slightly. "Yeah. I understand. You've been taking the lead for a while now, in Anor Londo especially."

He was upset...there was no denying it. He'd just gotten something new, and I'd asked him to more or less not use it. "She said that there were undead, like skeletons, being controlled by necromancers. If you can take care of the necromancers, it sounded like the skeletons were the main problem. Deal?"

He nodded. "Deal."

With that, the two of us set out, as we moved around Firelink Shrine, searching for the graveyard that Anastacia had told me about. It wasn't too hard to find, just past the building we'd jumped in earlier to deliver the Lordvessel. Countless numbers of graves lined a shattered walkway, all shapes and sizes turned at odd angles due to years of neglect. Along the pathway I could see piles of bones strewn about, likely from the more recently deceased.

We were coming, Reah...soon.


	18. Chapter 18

**Flynn**

 **SL52 - 23 VIT - 15 ATT - 23 END - 30 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL52 - 19 VIT - 19 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 20 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 30 FTH**

 **Resa**

The two of us took our first, tentative steps into the graveyard, navigating between the crumbling tombs and long-forsaken bones strewn about. As we did, though, there was a rumbling...one that was not our own. The bones began to knit themselves back together, legs joining with hips, skulls joining with necks, assembling themselves into fully-formed skeletons. They reached down, grabbing a rusted sword and battered shield, one of many that were strewn about the graveyard.

Flynn advanced to stand beside me, his shield and claymore ready. I'd told him that I might need to be the ones to take them on...I wasn't going to stop him from assisting, though. I rushed forward, hacking at one of the skeletons while it was still in the midst of assembling. The single swipe sent several ribs flying, only for them to start being drug back into place a few moments later. I lashed out again, this time managing to knock the skull loose. The rest of the skeleton rushed after it, trying to chase it down...it seemed the skull was how it was able to recreate itself.

"Take out the heads...it seems to work!" I rushed after the skeleton, chasing it down before it could get to its head. As it was picking it back up, I thrust my falchion forward and upward, catching the skull and tossing it into the air. For a few seconds, it floated through the sky, only to come crashing down a few seconds later. As it descended, I held my blade up, poised and ready to break the skull. The bone landed perfectly on the tip of my falchion, falling downwards, splitting itself in half. As it did so, the skeleton seemed to crumble as well, dissipating away.

As I turned back to the other two skeletons, Flynn had clearly noticed what had just happened, preparing to dismember his own opponent. He swung his claymore violently to the side, catching the skull in the temple, draggin the entire skeleton with him. His blade was wedged deep within the bone...likely not coming out very easily. With a heavy, vertical slash, he sent his blade into the ground, cracking the skull in two. Now, with only one skeleton left, we had the advantage.

I held up the Crystal Ring Shield, gesturing to Flynn's own shield. "Brother, want to make a skull sandwich?"

He looked puzzled for a moment, but caught on, lifting up his own shield. "Sure...can't say I'll want to eat it, but maybe someone else will."

I nodded, rushing towards the remaining skeleton, while Flynn did the same. Flynn connected with it first, his shield bashing directly into the skeleton's head, with my own a few paces away. As our shields connected, the skull was completely eviscerated, breaking into countless fragments, almost dissolving. I was knocked back by the sheer strength of the impact, Flynn's heavy armor not budging at all from the action.

With no foes left, we continued on down the graveyard. There seemed to be one, clear path, now hidden behind overgrown weeds and broken bones, but it was at least clear of gravestones. There were a few more skeletons that popped up, though none of them posed even a slight challenge.

Eventually, we turned a corner, spotting what appeared to be the entrance to a crypt of some sort...likely the Catacombs. It was carved of stone, opening up to a slight stairway riddled with bones. As we descended, the stairs themselves started to show signs of wear, becoming cracked in numerous positions, as well as being turned at odd angles.

Eventually, the stairway opened up into a large pit, the ambient light becoming dim as we descended further into the Catacombs. Hovering in the pit were disembodied skulls...much larger than what an undead's should be. They were casting a red aura around them, somewhat mindlessly floating about. One of them spotted us as we continued our descent, however, immediately turning towards us. It let out an ear-splitting shriek as it charged towards us, the red glow expanding outwards. As the howling grew louder and louder, eventually, it detonated itself.

Flynn and I were knocked back, flying into the outer wall of the stairs, falling limp. The second skull seemed to spot us now too, repeating the same actions as its predecessor. The howling grew louder and louder, the skull grew closer and closer, until it was practically on top of us. When it detonated, I was launched down the stairs, tumbling onwards. Flynn, due to his armor, barely budged, managing to get to his feet while I was still in motion. He rushed after me, abandoning all safety, trying to catch up to my flailing body. Eventually, I came to a stop, my head spinning from the tumble. Flynn helped me back to my feet, and I simply held up a hand. "Give me...a minute."

"I don't think you have a minute." Flynn moved to the other side of me, towards the bottom of the stairs. In my dizzy stupor, I could see another skeleton, this one donning slightly less broken weapons than what we'd seen out in the graveyard. Still, it was fairly easy for Flynn to deal with, only a few quick motions until he managed to send its skull flying into the wall. As it cracked, the skeleton crumbled into a pile of bones, beginning to slide down the staircase.

That didn't last long, however. The bones began to stand back up, the split pieces of the head even joining back together, until eventually the skeleton was fully formed, and armed. Flynn turned back to me...I was still out of it. "If you're not going to fight, can I take your falchion for a second?"

I nodded, extending my hand. Flynn dropped his claymore to the ground, my blade looking cartoonishly small in his hand. As the skeleton rushed towards him, my brother held up his shield, blocking an overhead strike from the undead. Flynn thrust my blade forward, ripping through several ribs, before launching the blade upwards. Rather than the dexterity I tried to wield it with, Flynn treated it just like his claymore, utilizing raw strength to tear through his opposition. The falchion tore through the skeletons' head, cleaving it in half on its previous crack. This time, however, the bones began to dissipate, fading away.

"So that's why divine weapons are necessary...it's the only thing that can permanently kill the skeletons." He held out my falchion, which I took. I'd finally recovered from the fall, the world now more or less stationary in my head.

"So it seems. I assume necromancers are simply undead...us-undead, not skeleton-undead. I don't think they're only killable through divine weapons. In the meantime though, it seems I might have to take the lead."

Flynn nodded, picking up his claymore. "Yeah. I'll do my best to keep them off of you, especially if we get overwhelmed. I don't have to kill them, but I can still weaken them."

We descended even further down the staircase, another skeleton charging at us. This one seemed to practically soar through the air, its entire body spinning as it jumped towards me. I held my my shield, blocking it, but still getting knocked back by the impact. As I was sent backwards, Flynn rushed forwards, slamming his claymore down on the skeleton's back. The bones were completely crushed around its hips, the skeleton falling limp on the floor. While it tried to fix itself, fragmented vertebrate knitting themselves back together, I plunged my falchion through its skull, ending it.

At the end of a staircase was a slight drop, the wall eroded away after countless years of neglect. Flynn and I slid down it, coming face to face with two more skeletons. As I dealt with one, Flynn wrangled the other, blocking its swipes, and trying to keep it pinned down. Alone, they weren't very challenging...their shields were flimsy and their swords were brittle. However, if I hadn't brought the falchion with us, it would be a different story...an endless undead army wearing us down over time.

As it was, I decapitated the first skeleton quickly, moving to the second. Flynn knocked it back with his shield, and I came up behind it, bringing the holy weapon through its skull. As the two of them dissipated, we pressed onwards, moving past another slight staircase. It opened up into another, fairly contained room, a large stone slab blocking the opposing wall. There was a lone path to the left-hand side of the room, which we descended.

Inside was...a necromancer. It had to be. It was garbed in black, filthy robes, holding a lamp in one hand. As soon as it saw us, it held up the lamp, a gout of fire spitting towards us.

Flynn charged forwards, the fire dissipating against his shield. "I can kill you...so I will." He rammed into the necromancer with his shield, the two of them still moving forward until they collided with a wall. With Flynn's impressive weight, I was surprised it was still alive...but not for long. While the necromancer recovered, Flynn plunged his sword through its chest, swiftly ending its life.

Now that the room was cleared, I actually looked around, inspecting our surroundings. It was fairly easy to miss amidst the mess, but I could see the faint outlines of a bonfire, the coiled sword a telltale sign. Also in the room appeared to be some sort of mechanism, though I wasn't sure what to. It was a large stone circle embedded in the wall, with a lever currently sticking out. While I moved to tend to the bonfire, Flynn approached the mechanism, firmly grasping the lever in two hands.

"Might as well, right? We don't have anywhere else to go right now, and I doubt I could make it up the fall we took on the way in."

I nodded, extending my hand to the bonfire, calling forth the flames. As Flynn pushed in the lever, I could hear a rumbling coming from above us, likely from the room we'd just left. A stone slab began sliding down, behind the circular engraving, until it collided with the floor. I gestured to the bonfire. "We're here...no harm in taking a break."

Flynn nodded, taking a seat by my side. "Agreed. I...I could use it."

His voice sounded faint, and strained. "Flynn, are you okay?"

He took off his helmet, revealing his...hollowing face. It was worse than I'd ever seen him before, his eyes beginning to appear sunken and colorless. His skin had begun to darken as well as wrinkle.

I rushed over to him, wrapping my arms around him, pressing my head against his chestpiece. "No. No, no, and no. Tell me what I have to do...I can't let you live like this. It isn't living."

He shook his head. "It's not that...you've just outgrown a need for me. There's nothing I can do here...that's the problem. There's no humanity for Quelaan in a graveyard. You can clearly protect yourself. And Anastacia...she's safe now. I can't do anything here except stand alongside you and watch you succeed. It's...I don't know. I don't know what I can focus on down here. Survival is simple...I simply have to stand beside you long enough, and there'll be a trail of bones in your wake."

The worst part about this...he was right. I didn't know what I could say to try and make it better, other than to hang on. Eventually, hopefully, we'd meet Rhea, and he'd be able to protect her. Until then, though...he was right. There was little he could do beyond simply asking as my escort, which I could never ask him to do. "I...I'm sorry, Flynn. I wish I had an answer."

"Me too, sister. I'll stay beside you, of course, but just realize...I feel like I could slip at any moment. It's strange...we've walked past all these undead, and I've always looked at them like they were something separate from myself. But now, I realize...we're not so different after all."

I shook my head, tears beginning to form around my eyes. "No...don't say that, Flynn. You're not hollowed yet, and you won't hollow later. We'll figure a way out of this, I know it. We always have...we always will. Do you...do you have humanity? Didn't that help last time?"

"I don't...Quelaan needed them more than I ever will. It's not right for the Servant to use what the Master needs."

I didn't know what to say anymore...it felt like all was lost. I couldn't lose Flynn, not after we'd made it this far. We'd slain the goat demon, the Iron Golem...Ornstein and Smough, and more. Through all of those, we'd persevered. I couldn't lose him to himself, not after all this. "What do you want to do? I'm not losing you, no matter what. I'd rather keep you than find Rhea...you know that. If you need to turn back, I'll - "

He put his hand over my head, the cool metal chilling my cheek. "No. You were with me, through the sewers, through Anor Londo, all because I wanted to save Anastacia. I wouldn't forgive myself if I gave up on Rhea so soon. No, we continue through the Catacombs, and the Tomb of the Giants as well. If I go mad along the way…"

"No! Don't say any more...I can't bear to hear it." I sat up, looking him in his sunken eyes. "You will make it through this. I know it. You've still got Quelaan to save. Going hollow now would be abandoning her...don't do that."

At that, he nodded, some semblance of hope still left within him. "I don't plan to, Resa. Trust me, I don't want to go hollow. It's just...I can feel it, tugging within me. It's so difficult to explain...I don't really know what it's like." He stood up after this, donning his helmet once again, masking his hollowing features. "Let's go...staying and talking about it won't do anything."

It hurt me to see him like this...but if he felt strong enough to continue onwards, I wouldn't stop him. "Okay...but if you get worse, we stop, and figure something out. Deal?"

"...Deal."

With that, we left the bonfire, returning back up to the room we had just been in, immediately finding what the lever corresponded to. The large, stone slab that had previously been blocking the far wall was now removed, leading out to a winding path filled with even more skeletons. As we entered it, it opened up into an even larger area. The pathway seemed to split apart, revealing a wide ravine, with numerous doors and passages woven into both sides of the rock walls. There were three ways across that I could spot: one natural bridge not too far from us, leading to some sort of housing structure, and two, clearly man made, bridges. The latter had jagged, erratic spikes along the top of them, making any hope of crossing them nigh improbably...and yet they were there.

As we pressed forward, I took out the few skeletons blocking our path, until eventually we reached the first bridge, leading to the houses. I could see a necromancer through the doorway on the other side, garbed in similar cloaks as the other one we'd seen, as well as holding the strange lantern as before. It launched a got of fire at us from a far, which Flynn blocked with his shield. I could tell my brother wanted this - needed this - and I would let him have it. Flynn charged forward, rushing down the necromancer, completely ignoring the battalion of skeletons that were coming after him. The necromancer began trying to run away, moving further inside the housing complex, with Flynn still chasing after him. I rushed after the duo, intending to take on the group of skeletons that were otherwise preoccupied.

Four of the skeletons turned towards me as I approached, rusted blades and rotten shields poised and ready to strike. I took a cautious step back, retreating back to the other side of the natural bridge, until the footing was a bit more safe. The four undead charged at me, the sheer number of them putting my bravado aside for a moment...they were simple individually, but perhaps not as a group.

The frontrunner leaped into the air, almost weightless in the way that it spun about, sword whirling about to plunge towards me. At the same time, two more blades came at me from the ground, the three of them nearly unblockable in the way they managed to position themselves. I swept my sword to the side while I thrust my shield into the air, managing to block two of the blades, but not the third. It slipped through my defenses, managing to cut through one of the gaps in Ornstein's armor, beneath my shoulder.

I felt so constrained...only my blade could kill them. My spears, my shield...none of it would do anything meaningful until the necromancer was gone, and I had no way to know when Flynn would manage that. I did what I could, thrusting my sword forward, skewering one of the skeletons in the head. It was meaningless, however, as the fourth one simply took its place, a third sword reentering the barrage that I was being assaulted with.

I didn't have to kill them...I just had to get them off of me, otherwise I'd get whittled down strike after strike. I kicked forward, knocking one of the skeletons off of me, as I thrust forward with my shield. The ring that ensued split it right down the middle, slicing its spine in skull in half. It didn't dissipate, however...I didn't expect it to. The next, I lunged forward, catching it squarely in the chest with my shoulder, knocking it backward. In one deft motion, I reached for my talisman, conjuring a greater lightning spear. I didn't care if it would be useless...I just wanted to even the odds for the time being. The crackling lightning that coalesced in my hands was like nothing I'd felt before...it was leagues stronger than what I was use to. Without a second thought, I hurled it at the opposition, completely obliterating it.

As it was destroyed though...it dissipated away, the uncountable fragments of bone fading into souls. Had...had Flynn done it? I looked back at the other skeleton I'd struck with my shield. It was still recovering from the blow, its limbs starting to drag themselves back together. However...only a second or two later, and they stopped completely, falling apart onto the ground, and fading away a few moments later.

Flynn had done it...he'd saved me, and he didn't even realize it. Now that it was just me and one other skeleton, I had the freedom I needed to keep fighting, thrusting my shield forward, knocking it off of me. I followed the attack up with a swing from my falchion, completely decapitating it.

Now that the area was cleared, I rushed towards the house, hoping to find Flynn. It wasn't too hard to spot him...he was dealing with one of the skeletons that had elected to chase after him, knocking it back with his shield. He followed the motion up with a forceful overhand chop, crunching the skull in half. Once he was done, he dropped his weapons, the indomitable force of black iron turning to face me.

"You...you saved me, Flynn. I'm not exaggerating given the circumstances, either. Had you not killed the necromancer, I would have been overwhelmed."

He nodded. "Understood."

Understood? Was...I didn't know what hollowing was like, all I knew was that, by the end of it, you were insane. I didn't know if that's where he was headed, or if he simply didn't...or couldn't, understand what I had just said. I'd hoped the news would cheer him up, but I didn't even know if that was possible right now.

Flynn continued deeper into the house, approaching a few stray skeletons. He dropped his shield down, bringing to light his pyromancy flame. It was larger than I'd last seen...much larger, like a small fireball writhing about in his hands. As the skeletons charged forward he held out his hand, the fireball seeming to elongate and stretch, until it looked like he was holding a flaming rope in his hands. As the first skeleton charged forward, he whipped his hand forward, the rope lashing straight through the target, and melting through its neck. As the rope wrapped around more of the skeleton, it burned away more and more of the bones, until eventually a majority of the rib cage had fallen apart. Flynn dropped his end of the rope as the skeleton crumbled away, only to advance on the second one that approached him. This time, he simply thrust his hand forward, gripping the skeleton's head as it pointlessly tried to strike him. The flame burst forth into a gout of intense fire, bathing the inside of the skeleton's head in flame, and redirecting it to torch the torso and legs as well. From there, Flynn simply crunched the skull in his hand, ending its life.

He was...terrifying. I could only assume he'd collected those pyromancies during his trip to Blighttown, or his talk with Laurentius. Either way, they were far more brutal than the fireballs he'd been launching thus far. These almost seemed...personal.

My brother picked his shield up off the ground, continuing his inexorable march through the house. He'd gone on a rampage, and for once, I didn't know what to do. I wanted to have an answer, something that would help him get through this...but I couldn't think of anything.

Eventually, we made it outside the house, coming face to face with the man made bridge. I still couldn't see a way to cross it, the endless strip of spikes down the middle of it making navigation all but impossible. To our right, however, was a separate path, several skeletons blocking the way. There were also several statues, some missing heads, some barely standing together at all, but all of them lined up on the outside wall, overlooking a large pit in the center of the Catacombs. Flynn immediately began down it...he was deadset on...something. I had no way to know what, however, as he'd become almost completely unresponsive since we'd left the bonfire.

As he approached the first statue, three barbed spikes thrust themselves out of a hidden compartment in the statue, going straight through his armor and staggering him. It didn't even phase him, however, as he simply thrust his sword at the spikes, severing them, leaving them embedded in his side. He knocked down several skeletons along the way, none of which got up. Part of me was glad they didn't...that means we'd dealt with the necromancers. However, part of me knew that Flynn needed more prey, and more targets...if there were no more necromancers, I didn't know what to point him towards. The whole situation felt so helpless…

I rushed after him, deftly navigating my way through and around the remnant of the statues. Eventually, the pathway took a bend to the left, and I saw Flynn, both hands pressed against another one of the strange levers we'd seen earlier, pushing it inwards. I heard a steady grinding, like stone on stone, and I looked back, seeing the man made bridge begin to rotate, until the spikes were along the side, and the top was now smooth.

Before Flynn could keep going, I held my arms out, trying to block the way. "Flynn, stop. You can't keep going on like this."

At that instant, he abruptly halted, standing stock still. "What?"

I reached over to his side, pulling out the barbed spikes he'd left inside of him, and tending to the wounds with a miracle. "Did you even know these were inside you? Did you even know how hurt you were? Flynn...I love you. You know that, right? Don't do this to me. You've got to hold on."

* * *

 **Flynn**

The words Resa spoke...they didn't make sense. Of course I knew I was hurt...how couldn't I? The barbs didn't hurt much, though...nothing did anymore. I was willing to leave them where they were, and tend to them once I was at a bonfire. She was overreacting again, worried that I was being 'too reckless'...

I was fine. I knew I was fine, why wouldn't I be. Resa had said that I'd protected her by killing the necromancer. I just needed to find more necromancers, then...that way she could stay safe. Why didn't she get that? When there were no more necromancers, though, then I could kill the damned skeletons for once. I'd kill those, too...I needed to protect my sister, after all. I'd done that since we'd first gotten to Lordran, and I didn't see any reason to stop that now. Sure, she'd become strong in Anor Londo, but so had I. There was no reason I couldn't defend her from stronger enemies...I'd risen to the challenge.

I continued forward...maybe Resa was beginning to hollow, the way she didn't make sense. Her face seemed fine, though...perhaps she was in the early stages. I made my way back across the pathway, ignoring the statues that tried to break through my shield, and failing miserably. They were weak...I wasn't, and that's why I would survive.

That's when I saw it...on the bridge I'd just opened up. There was another necromancer, about halfway out. I could kill it, just like the others, and keep Resa safe. I charged forward, as quickly as I could within the heavy plate armor, until I was at the front of the bridge. How to kill it...I had to make it somewhat flashy, that way Resa knew I cared. I'd grown to like the new pyromancies I'd acquired in Blighttown...I'd have to thank Quelaana when I was down there again.

The necromancer held up its lantern, trying to strike me with a puny gout of fire that simply dissipated against my shield. I bashed its head with it, the metal still warm from the necromancer's attack. While it was staggered, I kicked forward, knocking it to the ground. I dropped my shield onto its midsection, keeping it pressed down with my foot...it wasn't going anywhere. As I kindled my pyromancy flame, I let the flame drop down, the lone braid of the fire whip springing to life once again. It dangled mere inches from the necromancer's dark clothing, practically begging to set the undead ablaze.

I couldn't say no...could I? No...I had to let it burn. I lashed crosswise across the necromancer's chest, leaving a trail of singed flesh in its wake, only consuming a small fraction of the whip's energy. I repeated the action several times, practically flaying it, until its chest was a barren wasteland of ashen skin. It was still breathing, though...I couldn't let that happen. With the remaining braid of flaming whip, I gripped it in two hands, thrusting both hands across his chest. The whip burned through him, nearly severing his torso in half before finally giving out.

As it faded away, I heard Resa's voice behind me. "Flynn...please stop. You're scaring me."

There she goes again...I'm keeping her safe, and letting her know I mean it...where was the confusion? "It's dead. You're not."

I picked up my weapons, continuing further across the bridge, until eventually I came to the other side. It opened up into a dark cavern, whatever pathways were beyond it shrouded by darkness. I continued my advance, searching for more foes to dispatch. They were far from hidden, though, as several skeletons rushed at me, swords falling against my shield. As I threw them off of me, my claymore connected with a skull, splitting it in two in midair. However...it didn't die. There was another necromancer, somewhere. I had to protect Resa from it.

I ignored the skeletons as I charged further into the cave, finding a winding staircase that led downwards. Alcoves lined the side of it, several of them filled with two or three skeletons, all of which began rushing after me as I searched for their master. I didn't care about them...the cuts they put against my armor almost negligible. As I continued down the stairs, I reached a second floor, with yet another alcove on the side. That's when I saw it...the glow of the necromancer's lantern.

Without a second though, I charged at the necromancer, bashing it with my shield. He flew back against the wall, running into another one of the levers that seemed to be scattered about this place. One of the two sides of the lever dug into his ribs, the blunt object likely breaking several of them...but that wasn't enough. It was still breathing, and thus, it was still a threat. This time, I didn't have time to be fancy, show Resa just how much I cared about her...there were more skeletons rushing at me than I felt comfortable dealing with. I had to end the necromancer's life now. I did so, shoving my hand against his face, casting great combustion at point blank. The ensuing fireball completely charred its face, burning it to a crisp.

As the necromancer dissipated, the light in the skeleton's eyes seemed to fade...they were primed for death. I hurled a chaos fireball at the center of them, lava and fire alike melting away the bones, as the group faded away. With the few remainders, I brought forth the whip once again, lashing it against their heads. It was odd...Resa had told me to stand back, and let her do the killing...why wasn't she? These foes were miserably easy, hardly a challenge compared to the opponents we'd fought thus far. Her divine weapon was strong, of that there was no doubt...but raw strength has no equal.

Now that the room was cleared, I pressed the lever, hearing a rumbling noise from upstairs. As I circled back around the staircase to investigate, I spotted Resa...she was huddled in the corner, tears streaming down her face.

"Are you hurt?" I stopped, sheathing my claymore. If she was hurt, or scared, it would be foolish of me to terrify her further.

She looked up, shaking her head. "Flynn...you're scaring me. Please...just stop."

"You are protected." I didn't see the confusion...she asked me to protect her, and I was. Why, then, was she upset? She'd never been fickle before...maybe the undead curse was changing her, warping her into someone barely recognizable from my sister.

She shook her head. "Is that what this is? Protection? Flynn, you've murdered everything in sight in absolutely horrible ways. I...if this is what you call protection, I don't want it."

"Goodbye." If she didn't want my help anymore, she wouldn't have it...I saw no reason to protect someone that didn't desire it. But now...where to? There was only one answer, burning within my mind...Rhea. Resa had said she would likely need protected. I had to find her, before she was hurt. We hadn't seen her yet in the Catacombs, but there was clearly more to it than this.

I found the passageway that the lever had opened up, leading out into a cramped hallway. I moved through it, coming to a split. One split led out into the pit, several steps of a stairway simply falling away to nothing...far from a good choice. I took the second choice, navigating downwards until I emerged on the other side of the pit as before. To my right was another bridge, this one upturned like the previous one such that it was inaccessible at the moment. To my left, the pathway led on, up to a ladder on one side, with a tunnel continuing further. I investigated the tunnel first, ignoring the spiked statue that struck me as I passed.

Inside, there was another bonfire, which I immediately kindled. I wasn't particularly injured, and yet...the flames of the bonfire cried out for me. I took a seat, immediately finding Resa warped to my side. She was still sobbing, her head now tucked into her knees. She looked up, noticing the change in location, and immediately reached into the her pouch, pulling out a humanity sprite.

"Please. Take it. Ever since the church, I've been holding onto it. Now please, just take the damn thing and use it!"

I held out my hand, accepting the sprite. "Quelaan needs humanity." I stowed it away...I doubt Quelaan would complain if the humanity came from someone that wasn't her servant.

At this, Resa stood up, drawing her falchion. "Flynn. No. I said you need to use it, not Quelaan. Now so help me, if you don't take that out and use it right now, I will hurt you. You're hollowing, Flynn. I don't know if you even know what I'm saying right now, but you're hollowing. Now take the damn humanity and use it before this turns into a fight I don't want to do."

Was she...threatening me? I had expected my sister, if she truly was still that, to do many things...but never that. I stood up, drawing my claymore and shield, rising to tower above her from inside my iron shell. "Quelaan needs humanity."

She shook her head. "I warned you."

Resa lunged at me, glistening gold armor almost a blur in how fast she moved. Still, I bashed at her with my shield...or so I thought. She deftly ducked under my blow, dropping to slide through my legs, flipping back onto her feet behind me. My shield would be useless against her...she was simply too fast. As I dropped my shield from my hand, I could feel her rummaging about in my pack, searching for something. I brought my pyromancer's flame roaring to life, immediately dropping it down to let the whip form in my hands. I spun about, catching her by surprise, a the scent of burning flesh filling the air as the whip struck her cheek.

She recoiled in pain, and that's when I could see it...the humanity sprite she'd just offered me, now clutched in her greedy hands. She wasn't even wielding a weapon anymore, simply her shield and the humanity...far from an effective way to close out a fight. I brought the whip down again, but this time, she was prepared. Res held her shield up, blocking my hand, and reaching up with her other hand. I felt the cool aura of the humanity sprite be pressed against my flame, Resa crying out in pain as she willingly grabbed hold of the whip. As I retracted my hand, though, she closed my fingers, effectively forcing me to consume the humanity.

I stumbled backwards, the changes wracking my body almost immediately. I could feel my flesh tightening, the skin warping back to how it should be. But most of all, however...my mind changed. I could feel my very perception of the world shifting about, becoming...normal. I looked back on what I'd done since we'd entered the Catacombs...how I'd brutally murdered everything here, how I'd left Resa behind me...all of it.

I stayed down, severing the fire whip that was still in my hands. "Please...forgive me."

She knelt down to my side, nodding. "I do, Flynn, I do. But please...don't you dare scare me like that again."

What had happened...what had caused me to turn into such a monster. I had hollowed, that much was obvious, but why? From what I knew, hollowing happened when you ran out of something to focus on, or if what you were focusing on simply became impossible. I...that must have been what happened, whether I'd realized it or not.

I sat back up, moving towards the bonfire, beginning to pull out the numerous spikes that were embedded in my side from all the statues I'd passed. The pain was only mildly dizzying, the restorative effects of the flames tending to them as quickly as they were reopened.

Resa spoke up, looking at me. "Tell me what I have to do to keep this from happening again. I can't make it through that again...I simply can't."

"I'll be fine...I think. I don't exactly know what caused it, either. I think it was just a slow cascade of things I couldn't do...I didn't need to fight, you were fending off enemies...I simply couldn't do much. Then, when you told me I'd saved you by killing the necromancer...I guess I got so blindingly focused on that, and killing all the rest of them that showed up, that I just...I don't know. It's hard to tell. I'm fine, for now."

"It's the 'for now' that has me worried, Flynn. I don't know if the situation will change, or if it will get better for you. That's the last humanity I have...I assume you don't have many either. After this, I can't help bring you back from the brink anymore."

"I'll keep that in mind. Now, let's see if we can't find Rhea. There's always a chance she got through the Catacombs, and into the Tomb. I just hope...she didn't end up like me."

"Don't say that. Just don't, Flynn. She's safe...I know it."

 **Cutting this one short, mainly because I don't want to cut the chapter short by rushing to the end of the Catacombs, since there's still a lot that needs to be done in this area. Properly doing everything there is to do here in one go would make this easily the longest chapter to date, which I don't think is necessary. This, plus Tomb of the Giants, will probably be 3 chapters on the shorter side, rather than 2 massive chapters. Stay tuned for more!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Flynn**

 **SL54 - 24 VIT - 15 ATT - 23 END - 31 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL54 - 19 VIT - 21 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 20 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 30 FTH**

 **Flynn**

I had my wits about me...I think. I wasn't sure really who I was anymore...was I still hollow, and now aware of it, or had the humanity actually cured me...I had no way to know. I wanted to think that I was better, that I wouldn't terrify my sister anymore, but I still doubted myself...doubted the whispering voices in my head that told me to desecrate everything that I saw here.

The two of us left the bonfire, heading back out into the Catacombs. As we passed, I blocked the spikes from the statue...only to realise that they were still broken off from when I'd charged in earlier. Once we were outside, I spun about, looking at the ladder heading upwards. Currently, we had no other leads at the moment, the only way across the chasm being a bridge that was uncrossable.

"Go ahead, Flynn...I'll follow you."

I nodded, beginning to ascend the ladder. Once I reached the top, I found one of the stone levers...and a man. It seemed that he was guarding the lever, leaning against the pillar surrounding it. He was completely bald on top, dressed in fairly simple, leather armor, and carried a lightweight greatshield and a spear.

As soon as Resa reached the top, he began speaking, a whiny, nasally voice that tore at my psyche. "Well well, it seems you two've gotten yourselves good and lost. Tell me, what brings you to the Catacombs?"

"I'm looking for a friend of mine...Rhea, of Thorolund. They must have come through here not too long ago. Have you seen them?"

The man shook his head, still poised in front of the lever. "I don't believe I have...though I haven't been down here for long myself." At this, he squinted, eyeing my sister skeptically. "Tell me...you aren't perhaps a cleric, are you?"

Resa nodded. "I am, as well as a Warrior of Sunlight. Why, are you injured?"

I could see the man visibly twitch...I'm not sure why. Still, he shook his head. "No, no...simply wondering how you've been dealing with all the skeletons around here." He turned to look at the lever he was clearly guarding, pointing at it curiously. "I suppose you all came up here looking for this, didn't you? Here, let me help you out." With that, he pushed against the lever, and I watched on as the second bridge began to rotate, until soon it was crossable.

"Thank you. Tell me, what is your name?"

"I'm Patches. And if you wouldn't mind, what are yours?"

"I'm Flynn, and this is my sister, Resa."

Resa added onto this. "If you wouldn't mind me asking, Patches, why are you down in the Catacombs?"

"Well...I'm something of a treasure-seeker, I suppose you could say. I've heard wind that there are quite a few valuables down here that are worth my attention. I've simply taken a break for the time being...an endless wave of skeletons begins to wear on a man, I'm sure you know."

I nodded. "It does...I'm well aware. Stay safe, Patches."

"You two as well, Resa and Flynn."

As we said our goodbyes, the two of us descended down the ladder again, descending back to the floor. The two of us advanced towards the bridge, beginning to cross it. Once we were about halfway, though, I could feel a slight shaking beneath my feet...it was moving. I knew that Resa could feel it, too, as she began sprinting, doing everything she could to make it to the end of the bridge.

I began running as well...but much slower. Only a second later, and I could visibly see the bridge begin to rotate, my footing starting to slip, as I neared the three-quarters mark of the bridge. To my right, the way the bridge was spinning, I could see land jutting out, my only hope of survival. I got in a few last steps, until the bridge was about halfway rotated, and I could feel my feet beginning to slip. With one last ditch effort, I dove, hurling my body at the ground below.

I collided straight into the ledge, not quite jumping far enough. My hands gripped onto the rocky ground, not quite finding as much purchase as I would have liked, as I quickly began slipping down towards the abyss beneath me.

"I'm coming, Flynn! Just...hold on!"

Yeah...like I had much of a choice. Resa disappeared from sight, having made it safely to the far side of the bridge. This had to have been Patches...he was the only one that could control the lever. What a sick, twisted man.

As my grip continued slipping, I kept trying to claw my way back up, but the heavy armor of the Iron Golem did me little favors. With little choice left, I let one hand loose from the ledge, trying to grab onto the Golem's Axe I was still carrying with me. I began slipping even faster as I hurled the heavy weapon up, and over...until I felt it dig into the stone ground above me. It wasn't entirely secured, but it was better than my own hands. Still, I kept one hand holding onto the ledge, the other tightly gripping the axe that was keeping me from falling.

A short while later, and Resa appeared in front of me, face wrought with worry as she knelt down, holding out her hand. I lunged forward, my free hand gripping hers now, as she desperately tried to pull me up. "Flynn...you need to lose some weight."

"It's the armor that's heavy, not me, I swear." With the added leverage, I began trying to climb my way out, periodically thrusting the axe further and further up, giving my legs enough room to begin scaling the sheer cliff. Eventually, I made it back up, my body splayed out on the ground once I was safe.

"...Thank you, sister. You just saved my life."

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time. Hang tight, I'll deal with some skeletons."

I simply gave her a thumbs-up, regaining my strength from hanging on for my life. In the distance, I could hear the sounds of Resa fighting, dispatching a few skeletons that had taken the time to notice her. By the time I got back up, they were all gone.

I'd landed in a sort of semicircle, the path curving around to reach the other side of the chasm. It led off in the distance, until eventually the path turned to tiled stone, and then a door shrouded in darkness. It seemed like a good lead...if someone had taken the time to build it in the past, it beat running around aimlessly.

We circled around, eventually weaving our way towards the doorway, and into the building inside. It was a narrow hallway, barely even enough room for the two of us, until it eventually spread out.

"Flynn, it's a bit dark. Would you mind shedding a little light?"

I looked down at my hand. "What am I now, a torch?" I didn't argue, though...it was extremely dark. I held up my hand, my pyromancy flame springing to life. It didn't shed much light, though it was enough for us to see the titanite beast lurking in the shadows ahead. The light allowed it to notice us, too, as it quickly turned towards us, beginning to close the gap. It was just as injured as the last one we took on, though in different places. The previous two we'd seen had been missing a leg, forcing it to inch its way forward. This one, however, was missing an arm...not nearly as much of a problem for it. It stood, hunched over in the low ceilings of the building, its signature staff clutched in its one remaining arm. It reminded me of Ornstein, when he'd grown after praying near the executioner...not a good sign.

The demon lunged towards us, staff sweeping across the confined room in an attempt to knock both of us off our feet. Resa was swift enough to leap into the air, narrowly avoiding the sundering strike...but I was not. As I fell down, I lost control of my pyromancy flame, the room becoming shrouded in darkness as the fire faded.

I couldn't see the demon anymore...but I could hear it, lurking within the shadows. Instinctively, I took a few cautious steps forward after getting back up on my feet, noting that it didn't seem that it could see us either. After a few steps forward, I thrust my hand forward, unleashing a gout of fire into the air. For the briefest moment, I could see the demon, mere inches away from me, as my flames bathed its leg. The demon leaped backwards as my flame dwindled, remaining bright enough to still illuminate the dark room.

"I can't keep my flame up forever...it's hard to use my shield like this, and I have a feeling I'll be needing it."

My sister nodded, pulling out her talisman. "That's fine. Here, let me light the way for a second."

I snuffed out the flame as a new light began to illuminate the room, in the form of Resa's lightning spear. This one was much stronger than what I'd seen before, practically thrumming with energy, wreathing her entire arm in the lightning. She hurled it towards the demon as I chased after it, trying to close the distance between me and my prey once again. Resa followed the attack up with a fling of her shield, one of the rings faintly illuminating the room as well.

It was practically a lightshow as we fought the demon, as flames, lightning, and rings all worked together to help us keep track of our adversary. It was extremely disorienting, brief flashes of light illuminating the craggy grey hide of the titanite demon, only to fade away a moment later. I kept trying to stay close, getting in a swing of my claymore whenever I wasn't the one to light the room up. Eventually, we managed to fell the demon, one final lightning spear from Resa being its undoing. Like before, when it faded away it left a slab of the strange, etched titanite we'd seen so much of in Anor Londo...which we still didn't have a known use for.

With the demon slain, I continued on, investigating a right wing of the building, just past where the demon had attacked us. In the middle of the room seemed to be some sort of crypt, a intricately-carved coffin standing in the middle of the room. I took a few cautious steps towards it, circling around to get a better look at it. I brought forth my flame yet again, illuminating the faint text shrouded by darkness. It was...well, I wasn't sure. If it was a language, I couldn't read it.

"Resa, can you come over here? I can't make sense of this."

I heard her footsteps growing louder as she drew closer...followed by the sounds of crumbling stone. I looked up, spotting a hole in the floor that hadn't been there a moment ago. Without a second though, I plunged through the hole, crashing down into the room beneath. Inside was another black knight...it had been a while since we'd seen one, and since then, our strength had grown immeasurably. This one wielded a large greataxe, a somewhat elegant blade adorning both sides of the weapon's head. Resa was also down here, currently locking shields with said knight. Her falchion glowed a brilliant white, the divine energy she was pumping into the blade clearly ready to unleash itself. "A little help?"

The knight turned to me, but it was too late to react any further. My shield bashed directly into its face, sending it staggering back into the far wall of the cramped room. I didn't relent though, immediately following with a reckless swing from my claymore, slashing right across the knight's chest, my second swing connecting with its shield once it recovered. It tried to push me backwards, but more or less failed...I simply was immovable.

Resa joined the fray again, the two of us simply overpowering whatever the knight tried to do. My sister's falchion slashed against the knight's armor, ripping through it, leaving a trail of cauterized flesh in its wake as the divine energy took its toll. This time, the knight shoved her back, far more effective. My sister was flung across the room from the fairly simple motion, as the knight chased after the prey that he could get. It was much faster than I was, able to clear the distance before I could really react.

The black knight brutally swiped at Resa with his axe, managing to catch her while she was still prone. The wild blow tore straight across her chest, blood pooling from the wound. Once I caught up, I thrust my claymore out, stopping the knight's attempt to get in another strike. Still, it wouldn't relent...it wanted to kill her, and that meant completely avoiding me in the process. It tried to take another swing at her, its greataxe flung far above its head, poised and ready to take her down. Resa held up her hand, talisman clutched within, as a light wave of white energy washed over her, tending to her wounds. At the same moment, she rolled out of her way, the knight's greataxe just barely grazing her leg.

Completely open due to the failed swing, I lunged towards the knight, pyromancy flame roaring to life. I let out another gout of flame directly in the knight's face, some of the flames shooting through the cracks in its helmet to bathe the face underneath in fire. Alongside me, a ring of energy struck the knight's shoulder, buffeting it long enough for me to continue. This time, I dropped the whip again, lashing it against the knight's midsection. It didn't do much...it seemed like the armor was already burnt to a crisp, but I let the flaming whip wrap around it, entangling its midsection. Resa followed up yet again with a lightning spear, this one striking it directly in the face.

That was what did it in, as the massive blow sent it staggering backwards, completely off balance. I simply brought my foot upward, kicking it to the ground, firmly planting one foot on its chest, and another on its axe - it wasn't getting up. "I'll let you do the honors, sister. Feeling better?"

She nodded, bringing her falchion up to its chest. "You know me. If it doesn't kill me outright, I'll be fine. Sometimes it just...takes a bit." With that, she plunged her falchion through its chest, a brilliant flash of divine energy wracking the knight's body. A moment later, and it faded away, leaving nothing behind...except for a white stone. It was about the size of my foot, and from what I could see, it looked like titanite. That was good...Resa would need those at some point, if we were to improve her weapon even further. I pocketed it, now ready to move on.

There was only one way out of the room, in the form of a busted wall at one end. On the other side was a massive cavern...we were finally at the bottom of the chasm. As we stepped out, though, I could hear noises...more skeletons.

These weren't normal, though, as one of them charged at me, in the most peculiar of ways. It had wrapped itself up in a wheel, charging towards us at incredible speed. The wheel had numerous metal spiked around the outside of it...it didn't look like you put this on a carriage. It was an instrument of pure destruction, and I knew that if it landed one good hit on us, we'd be grinded away to death. As I watched on, one more showed up, not quite able to reach us from our perch in the room above.

"I'll keep them off you, if you keep them off me. Deal?"

"Deal. Can you take care of those, though? They seem...vulnerable."

I nodded, bringing forth my flame. "With pleasure." I stepped forward, unleashing two bursts of fire from my hand, each one a few feet from the skeleton's face. The intense heat of the blast set their wheels ablaze, slowly killing it off within a few seconds.

"It's clear to go. Just be on the lookout for more. Keep your shield up and ready."

Resa nodded. "Lead the way. I'll follow."

I took a tentative step off the platform, and onto the cavern floor. I brought my shield up, crouching down, leaving no room for error. I didn't know what created these, or the wheels for that matter...but they were extremely dangerous. Only a few steps out, and another one began charging directly towards me, barreling through the canyon without abandon. I didn't try to avoid it...there simply wasn't a way. I held steadfast, keeping my shield up, feeling the intense barrage as it raked across the shield, the rolling motion trying to drag my shield down to the ground. "A little...help?"

Resa nodded, stepping around to the side, and hurling a ring at it. That set it off course for just long enough, and I thrust my shield forward, knocking it down to the ground. A single plunge from my claymore was all it took, cracking its skull. Thankfully, like the previous two, they didn't revive...there weren't any necromancers around, it seemed.

We continued through the cavern, dealing with the remaining skeletons in the same way. It was tiring, but safe...all that was worse for wear was the front of my shield. Eventually, the cavern narrowed down, until it was only a small tunnel leading onwards. We continued down it, still wary of the skeletons that could be ever present. Thankfully, we found none.

What we did end up finding, however, was far different. It appeared to be some sort of massive crypt from afar, a coffin easily large enough to fit a dragon inside of it, with the lid slightly ajar. Inside, I couldn't see much, except for books. There were books everywhere...piled on the floor, some open, some closed, some barely even holding together. As I continued closer to the crypt eventually, I could spot a dark-hooded figure standing near the rear of the crypt. I couldn't make out much, except for the fact that it appeared to have six lanterns poking out at odd angles on its back...strange, but we'd seen stranger.

I turned back to Resa...she seemed inquisitive, but not overly cautious. Without further ado, I pressed on, scooting over the edge of the crypt to fall down to the floor, Resa not far behind. As soon as I did so, the hooded figure spun about...three heads staring back at me. Each one was covered in a mask, the three faces going from looking at me, to turning to each other...as if they were talking to themselves. It felt as if faint whispers danced through the air as soon as I entered the crypt, and I wasn't even sure how to begin making sense of it all.

The strange figure waved around the lanterns, each of them beginning to glow a bright yellow, moments before visible orbs of flame sprung from each one. I held up my shield, the six small fireballs harmlessly stopping at my block. "I think we're trespassing...and it wants us gone."

Resa looked around, trying to find a way out. There weren't any ladders, and the walls were far too steep to simply climb out. "I don't see a way to leave. Looks like we don't have a choice."

I nodded. "Figured as much...well, here we go."

I advanced towards the robed figure, keeping my shield up. Before I even got close, the figure spun about, lanterns emitting a bright flash...and suddenly there were four more. From what I could tell, they looked identical to the original, if the original was still the one right in front of me. A moment later, and all five of them teleported, moving to completely different positions in the crypt. Three floated in the air, standing upon the mountainous piles of books strewn about the place, while two more simply stayed on the ground.

"Resa, we've got to figure out the real one, and fast. I don't like the looks of this."

"On it." She hurled a lightning spear a moment later, targeting one of the three in the air. The spear passed through the spectre harmlessly, though it did dissipate. "Not that one."

The battlefield quickly grew chaotic as we rushed to figure out which ones were the clones, as the four remaining figures began launching an unceasing torrent of fireballs around the room. One thing was for sure...the clones hurt just as much as the original. It was almost like a maze, as I tried to weave my way through the barrage of attacks, only to strike down another spectre. Resa took care of another one with her shield, the ring passing through the third.

Now, with two more left, it was much more manageable. I rushed towards the final one on the ground, lunging at it with my claymore. Thankfully, the figure remained, staggering backwards from my blow. At the same time, Resa took out the final imposter, allowing her to focus on the true enemy. As I prepared to strike it again, it brought all six of the lanterns close together in front of itself, unleashing a torrent of flames straight at me. My stance was wide open from my recent attack, allowing the stream of fire free reign on me. I felt skin charing through my armor as it heated up, the blast far more powerful than anything I was able to do myself.

Resa stepped in, cutting at it with her falchion, finally ending the stream of flames. "How bad is it?"

"Not good." One knee hit the ground, the burnt flesh barely able to support the intense weight of my armor. The other fell shortly thereafter, as I fell back on my haunches. I'd been cooked alive, my armor acting like an oven...I could still feel more flesh burning, long after the flames had ended.

"Hang in there Flynn." Resa held up her talisman, casting a miracle. I could feel my flesh slowly restoring itself...though the armor was still much too hot for my liking. Still, my strength returned as my flesh healed, not quite back to full health, but enough to get me through.

"That's...you're the best."

"Well, I hope it's worth it. There's five again…let me make it four?" With a crack of lightning, she took out one of the clones that had spawned while I was downed, evening the odds somewhat.

I got back to my feet, dropping my shield, bringing forth my pyromancy flame. It wanted to fight with fire...I'd give it fire. I hurled a chaos fireball at one of the figures, my attack passing through it harmlessly, erupting into lava once it collided with the back wall of the crypt. I steadily moved towards another that was near the floor, thrusting my hand forth, unleashing a goat of flame from my hands, only for it to fade as well.

Resa launched another lightning spear at the remaining airborn target...it stuck. The figure fell to the ground from the impact, falling amongst a pile of books. Books...ripe for burning.

I was supposed to be invincible, the unstoppable force that would protect my sister. And yet, here I was, having nearly been burned alive by what...some strange man? No...I couldn't stand for it. "Time to set this place ablaze." My pyromancy flame roared even stronger, as I began conjuring another chaotic fireball.

Resa turned to me, a look of horror on her face. "Flynn, please...no. Don't...don't do this. You're better than this, I know. There's no need to desecrate the body...it's dead." She sifted through the piles of books, showing that the figure was, indeed, gone. All that remained was one of the masks...and a strange, blackish wisp on the ground.

I snuffed out the flame...she was right. If the body was already gone, doing more would just be wasting a casting of my spell. I knelt down to the ground, scooping up the strange wisp. I couldn't tell what it was...or what it was supposed to be. Resa seemed curious as well, squinting at it...but also just as clueless.

"Perhaps Rhea will know...she has to be down here somewhere, Flynn. I have to believe she's still here."

"Lead the way, and I'll follow.

 **Resa**

There had to be a way out of this crypt...we couldn't be trapped down here. Thankfully, I eventually found a ladder, tucked away in one of the far corners of the crypt. Flynn was worrying me again...becoming violent, terribly so. Hopefully it was just a one-and-done, a reacting to being attacked, and not...I didn't even want to think about it.

As the two of us left the crypt, we entered into an area of complete darkness, save for a few shimmering rocks on the ground of various colors. They seemed to emit their own light, and I confirmed this as I picked one up, holding it in my hand. I could see two more...they seemed to be a path, like some sort of way for people to make it back safely. Someone...like Rhea.

Flynn came up behind me, his pyromancy flame alit. The glow of the fire wasn't much, but it did help pierce the otherwise dark abyss that was in front of us. "I figure we'll need this for the time being. Just...keep people off of me. I'm starting to run out of pyromancies, and I can feel the flame growing weaker.

I nodded...this wasn't good. In the Catacombs, he'd gone hollow because I'd told him to stay back, and avoid combat. Now, he was forced into the same position...my own brother, little more than a lantern. The worst part was, like last time, there simply wasn't a good alternative...we'd simply be wandering about in the dark.

I noticed as we walked...this wasn't normal stone that we were treading on. It was smooth..unnaturally so. It only took a quick look to figure out what exactly what they were - crypts. Of various sizes, all of them far larger than any humanoid creature we'd seen in Lordran. Some of them were ajar, their lids wedged between two outcroppings, while others still where what we were walking on. It was unsettling...we'd just come from a land of skeletons, and now we were entering a place with a history for far larger foes

I followed the trail of stones, setting the one down where I'd found it. We meandered about, going down a small slope, and onto a small clearing. At the far end, around the bend, easily had to be the largest skeleton I'd seen. It easily doubled my height, wielding a sword that made my falchion look like a dagger. The pale bones flickered in the soft glow of Flynn's flame, barely visible within the darkness.

Unlike the demon we'd fought though, it seemed that it had no problem seeing us, as it immediately turned, charging towards me. It gripped its blade in both hands, sending it crashing to the ground beneath it. I rolled out of the way, diving to the side as I slashed at its leg with my falchion. The skeleton let out an audible howl of pain from the divine strike, even though I barely did more than scratch it. As I got back to my feet, I lunged at it again, this time striking it head-on with my blade. It fell to the ground, its leg splitting in two from my attack, as I followed up, slicing at its ribcage. The blade cleanly cleaved through its chest, ripping through its ribcage before finally coming free. That was all it took, as if faded away, turning into souls.

With that cleared, we continued going, meandering down the steep slope. Given the skeleton we'd just faced, and the crypts around us...we had to be in the Tomb of the Giants. If Rhea had made it this far, it must have meant that they didn't find whatever it was that they were searching for...that couldn't be good.

As we rounded another corner, Flynn gestured to our left, pointing what appeared to be another crypt, similar to what we'd just been in. "If Patches said that he came here for treasure...you'd expect it to be in tombs, right?"

"Flynn, what you're saying sounds an awful lot like grave robbing."

"Well...look at what's around us. Do you think they're going to miss it?"

"They're still...no, they won't." I wasn't too opposed to it, in all honesty, I just wanted to give him a hard time. The only signs of actual life we'd seen thus far was Patches, and I wasn't too concerned with him. "Lead the way."

Flynn did so, finding a ladder near the edge of the crypt, much like before. The light momentarily went out as he was forced to grip the ladder, extinguishing his pyromancy flame. For a brief moment...everything was pitch black, my own hand not even visible in front of my face. It was an odd sensation, complete darkness, and one I wasn't a fan of at all.

I followed Flynn down, giving a few seconds for him to descend the ladder until I did the same. As I was about halfway down the ladder, the flame reignited, revealing the inside of the tomb.

Skeletons...six of them, all just as massive as the one we'd just taken down. Flynn was practically swarmed as he lit up the room, all sets of empty eyes turning to my brother as he stood there, alone and somewhat defenseless. To use his shield effectively, he'd have to stifle the flame, and fight in complete darkness...something the skeletons didn't have a problem with.

Without a second though, I launched myself off of the ladder, throwing my body into the middle of them. Unlike Flynn, I could still fight at full capacity...something I wouldn't let go to waste in a time like this. On my way down, I directly collided with one of them, my thick armor crashing through the body like it was made of glass. Ribs shattered around me as I dove through its rib cage, only to appear through the other side. I slammed into the floor a split second later, my shield absorbing the brunt of the damage as I got back to my feet.

With my grand entrance, I'd managed to draw their attention away from Flynn, though that still left the situation five against two...not good. What was worse, one of the skeletons seemed to be an archer, wielding a bow that was larger than what we'd seen in Anor Londo. As it notched an arrow, looking more like a polearm in size, I hurled a lightning spear at it, the massive jolt of lightning splitting right through it. For once, though, it wasn't enough, only managing to make its current shot veer far left, as opposed to ending it outright. These were tough...tougher than anything we'd fought before.

"Flynn, I'm going to need your help on this one!"

"What, did you think I'd just stand around and enjoy the show?" He followed it up by hacking at one of the skeletons with his claymore, the lighting in the room shifting about as his shield arm moved to accommodate the attack. He managed to dismember one of the skeletons though, popping out a lower limb from the sheer strength of his swing. Seeing this, I lunged at one of the two nearest to me, my divine falchion shredding through the bone like paper. I managed to completely sever it, sending the skeleton crashing down to one knee, where I kept going. As I got the hit in, though, another came up, sending its greatsword crashing into my side. I was launched across the room, crashing into the far wall as I slumped down into the ground.

I wasn't horribly injured...just dazed. As I hit the ground though, I saw something else...a dim, white light, not too far from my face. As I looked up, I saw what had to be an ember...it looked so similar to the ones we'd seen thus far. Like before, it was trapped inside a small, stone box, the lone flame seemingly sprung from nowhere. Clearly it was divine, as seen by the white flame, but this one was much stronger than the other, the flame inside appearing much stronger than the one we'd found so long ago. As I stood back up, I pocketed it away...Andre would certainly be happy to see it.

Back in the fight, though, things weren't looking good. With me down, all five that remained had moved towards Flynn, a torrent of swords crashing down upon him. He was still keeping his flame lit, forcing himself into a rather awkward position beneath his shield.

I rushed into the fray, completely abandoning any regard for safety. I could tell Flynn was slipping...he was forcing himself to keep the fire burning, even though it was about to get him killed. We hadn't seen a bonfire in quite some time...I wasn't about to deal with the wheel'd skeletons again.

As I neared the back of the pack, I hacked down the two that had already been dismembered, cutting through their midsections that were at an easy reach. They dissipated almost instantly, leaving the room three against two. There was still the archer that remained, its shoulder charred and shattered from where my spear had previously struck it. As I positioned myself to take it out, Flynn pushed forward with his shield, knocking back the other two skeletons that were still on top of him. They stumbled backward as I nimbly dodged out of the way, coming up behind the archer. Now that Flynn had finally given it a clear shot without its allies in the way, it began notching an arrow, ready to fire it at my brother.

I wasn't about to let that happen...not now, not ever. I hurled my falchion into the air, knocking back the arrow, sending both weapons wildly off course. I reached for the sword I'd picked up in Anor Londo...though I couldn't bleed the skeletons obviously, it would have to do. I hacked at its waist, chopping it down piece by piece until there was no more that it could do, eventually falling to its death. Meanwhile, Flynn took out one of the two skeletons attacking him, a weighty slash from his claymore being all it took to shatter the skeleton into pieces.

Now, with one left, we finally had the numbers advantage, and we put it to good use. Still using my backup weapon, I came up behind the skeleton, slicing through some of its ribs, opening up a massive hole in its chest that didn't stay empty for long. I could see Flynn's flame growing slightly, turning into a deeper shade of red...I knew what was coming. I dove out of the way, towards my falchion, as a torrent of fire and lava melted through the remaining skeleton, completely eviscerating it.

Now that the room was cleared, I moved over to Flynn, revealing the ember I'd found tucked away in the corner of the room. "What do you think...once we're free, go to Andre? This looks like the ember we saw in the Garden."

He nodded, still recovering from the assault. "I agree, they're similar. Probably worth giving it to him, and seeing if we can make your falchion even stronger." He paused for a moment, clearly in thought. "What was it he said we'd likely need...white titanite? If we find any, I'll be sure to hang onto it."

I nodded, as the two of us scoured the rest of the crypt, only to find that it was empty, save for signs of deterioration. It seemed that this was meant to house the ember, unless the real loot had already been taken before we got here. WIth that, we ascended the ladder again, momentarily plunging into darkness until we were back on top.

With only one way forward, we kept going for a little while longer, coming up to another clearing. As I was ready to keep going, Flynn pointed off to our left...a bonfire. There was a ladder tucked into the wall which the two of us descended, and I held out my hand to bring forth new life to the bonfire.

I sat down next to Flynn, laying my head on his shoulder. We'd been through a lot together while we were here...more than we ever had before. "What are we going to do...when we're done. Will we ever be done?"

Flynn looked down, deciding to take off his helmet. Thankfully, what was underneath looked far more normal than I was expecting...he was far from hollow. "I doubt we'll ever be 'done' in Lordran. We may fill up the Lordvessel, but I'm sure there will be something else. Besides, where would we go? We're hated in Thorolund...that's why we're here in the first place."

"Yeah...maybe it's not like that everywhere, though."

"I hate to disappoint, but I'm doubtful there. Look around, we've met people from the Great Swamp, Astora, Izalith, Vinheim, Zena...all undead, and all here. Do you think they'd come to this place if they wanted to? I mean...think about what's here. Why would anyone want to be here?"

I nodded...he was right. I just didn't want to think about it. "So then what, we're stuck here, forever? Our only way out of this life is to hollow? Sounds like a raw deal if you ask me."

"I agree, sister...I agree."

After a few more minutes, we got ready to leave the bonfire, depositing what we'd found in the bottomless box for later use. After climbing back up the stairs, we kept going a little bit further, only to find a familiar face almost dead ahead of us.

Flynn moved out in front of me, holding his claymore up and at the ready. "So, Patches...mind explaining to us why you rotated the bridge again...while we were on it?"

The man looked back, defensively. He was near the edge of a precipice...not the safest. "I slipped, I swear. Once it starts spinning, I can't stop it. Please, you have to believe me...did you survive?"

I nodded, recalling just what I'd had to do to get Flynn off the ledge. "Yes...barely. Now, why are you here? I assume you found something interesting?"

He nodded, gesturing to the pit behind him. Turns out it wasn't actually a pit...there was land down there. "I'm following a lead...treasure seeker, you remember. What I've heard is that there's something extremely valuable down there but I just can't convince myself to make the jump. Here, if you come close, you'll see it. I assume you've heard of titanite slabs, yes?"

At this, Flynn was curious, taking a few steps to stand beside Patches. "And you have reason to believe that there's one in here?"

The man nodded. "Yes...a white one, from what I've said. Would be rather useful for a cleric like your sister, no? Tell you what...I'll leave this one for you, if you want it. I'm sure there's more somewhere else."

Flynn peered out into the pit, searching. "Where...I don't see it?"

Patches pointed out, motioning down to a part of the lower area. I was curious as well...we hadn't seen any titanite slabs yet, and Andre had said they were incredibly rare. I stepped up too, moving to stand beside Flynn near the edge of the pit.

The next thing I felt was a boot to my back, as I was sent hurtling over the ledge A moment later, and I heard another one collide with Flynn's armor, likely sending him toppling over as well.

We both hit the ground a second later, the impact snuffing out Flynn's flame, plunging us into darkness once again. From above us, I heard Patches call out. "I'm sorry...my foot must've slipped - twice! I'm sure you'll find that slab though, absolutely!"

I groaned, getting back to my feet. "When we get back - "

"I'm cutting him in half. Multiple times. Please don't stop me."

"On the contrary, I'll help. That's twice now he's fooled us, and I'm not about to let it be a third."

Flynn brought forth his flame again, revealing a group of skeletons that were charging at us, only a few feet away from me at the moment. Like before, they were massive, bordering ten feet tall, with swords as tall as I was. I dodged out of the way, hacking at the closest one while a sword grazed my shoulder. One by one, the two of us cut them down, dodging in and out of blades while delivering our own.

Once it was clear, we moved about...we were in a fairly open pit, with no clear way out. The two of us started wandering around, searching for an exit. What we found instead, though, was much much better. Huddled against a pillar of rock in the back of the pit...was Rhea. She looked frightened, only comforted by a soft glow around her.

I rushed towards the cleric, kneeling down. "It's me...It's Resa. I got your message, and came as soon as I could. What happened, are you hurt? I can heal you, if you need it." I didn't see any of her companions around...had they simply left her here to die?

She pointed behind her, towards a narrow passageway. "My comrades, Vince and Nico. I believe they've gone hollow. They can't be too far from here, but I'm too weak to escape on my own."

I nodded, speaking in hushed tones now. "What was it they were searching for...did they find it?"

She shook her head. "They were after something called 'The Rite of Kindling.' It allows one to kindle bonfires further, staving off the darkness. They...they never found it. I think that's what drove them mad. Petrus seemed to manage it, though I don't know where he is now.

I stood up, turning to Flynn. "We'll keep you safe, Rhea. Don't worry."


	20. Chapter 20

**I apologize. I hit a major burnout one week because I'd just run into a wall on what I wanted to do with this chapter. After that, I just wasn't able to convince myself to keep writing. I got two favorites/follows this week though, and those emails always brighten my day...enough to finally get back into the swing of things. I'm back, and hopefully here to stay.**

 **Flynn**

 **SL56 - 24 VIT - 16 ATT - 23 END - 32 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL56 - 19 VIT - 23 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 20 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 30 FTH**

 **Resa**

Rhea turned around, looking into the black nothingness behind her. "I - I think they've heard you. Please...though they weren't the nicest, they were still my companions, and fellow adherents to the Way of White. Treat them with respect, if you can, but I understand that they cannot continue to live."

I nodded, looking off where Rhea was. I, too, could hear something...faint footsteps, barely audible, as if they were deafened by the sheer darkness around us. No doubt they were also drawn to Flynn's flame, likely the only source of light we'd see until we left this place. We were in a tomb, after all...tombs rarely come with lightning.

Flynn looked to the woman on the ground, taking off his helmet for a moment. "We'll keep you safe, don't worry. When we're finished, we can help you out of here, if you'd like."

Rhea shook her head. "No need. I'm familiar enough with the Catacombs to find my way out. Resa, I'll meet you in the church whenever you'd like. In fact, for coming this far for me, I feel you deserve a preemptive thank-you." The woman reached into her cloak, pulling out a scroll. "It's called Replenishment. It restores more severe wounds, but over a longer period of time. I pray that it helps you at some point during your journeys."

I knelt down, graciously accepting the scroll. "I'm sure it will. Thank you, Rhea. Go ahead and escape...we'll make sure that you can."

She turned behind her again. "I believe they're guarding the only way out. I'll stay with you for the time being before I take my leave. Though I can't bring myself to hurt my companions, I can still keep you protected." Rhea stood up, dusting herself off, pulling out a talisman made of gleaming white cloth. It looked much nicer than the one I'd been carrying with me all this time...I'd never stopped to think about it. Perhaps a stronger talisman would improve the potency of my spells? I'd have to ask her, when we were safe.

As it was, we continued onwards, moving to where the footsteps were heard earlier. It wasn't much longer until we found the source of them - Vince and Nico, or at least what was left of them. They were clearly hollowed, faces a wrinkled brown mess of twisted flesh, far different than what they'd been before. After what had just happened with Flynn...I had a new understanding of hollowing. They weren't raving mad, at least not yet. They were doing what they thought was right...they just didn't have the facilities to think through their actions. They must still believe they have to protect Rhea from the dangers of the Tomb, even if that means they have to attack her themselves.

Flynn rushed to walk past me, interposing himself between us and the two clerics ahead of us, shield somewhat at the ready. He still kept the flame lit, but I could tell that his grip was awkward...the shield acted more as a decoration rather than a weapon. Next to me, Rhea stood, silently, as if mourning the upcoming deaths of her companions. The fact that she'd even offered to assist us was beyond me.

The two hollows - no, Vince and Nico, approached us, the former with a mace, the latter with an axe, both garbed in unwieldy heavy armor and shields. Still, it was less than what Flynn was carrying, with two oversized weapons, heavier armor, and a similar shield. It was as if they knew this, that Flynn was more than their match, and yet they didn't care...to us, we were likely a threat to Rhea, and had to be eliminated.

Nico was the first to act, wildly swinging his axe toward Flynn. The flame extinguished moments before contact was made, Flynn blocking the axe with his shield head on. A moment later, and the flame sprung back to life, and I watched as Flynn's claymore was now in motion, swinging at a Nico that had no way to see it coming. The blade sunk into his shoulder, and Flynn ripped out the sword along with a gush of blood.

I turned to Rhea. "I'm sorry you have to see this. I wish you safety in your travels."

"Their death is expected. You two have gone far, and grown much from when I last saw you. I knew they would not live against you. Please, just finish them quickly...I'd rather not watch them die slowly."

"Very well." I stepped up to Vince, thus far not interfering with the fight between Nico and Flynn. If she wanted them to have swift deaths, I could do that for her. Vince seemed to take an interest in me, at least in whatever way he knew how - namely hurling his mace towards me. I dodged out of the way, a brief flash of light adding to the room as I countered with a ring from my shield. The ring collided with his shield, bouncing off of it to fade off into the dark abyss beyond. I dashed in to close the distance, opting to take the sword I'd found in Anor Londo. As our weapons and shields clashed, I immediately rolled to the right, ducking under his mace.

Halfway through the roll, the world went completely dark for a moment, likely because Flynn had to extinguish his flame. Immediately disoriented, I stayed on the ground, falling to my feet without clear sight of my footing. Still, Vince had to be behind me, based on where I fell. I spun about on the slick stone floor, reaching for my talisman, and conjuring a lightning spear. With the white-hot glow right by my head, Vince immediately appeared in my vision, illuminated by my miracle. I hurled it at him, the brief glow of the spear immediately fading away as the spear hit him squarely in the chest. As he was knocked back, Flynn's flame came back up, illuminating the four of us once again. I jumped back to my feet, raking my sword up across his armor as I went. As he was knocked back, I continued my assault, several more swipes ripping up his armor as I went. Blood poured from his body from my strikes, bringing him down to one knee in no time.

I didn't stop, continuing to whittle him down with every attack. I didn't want to end him violently, but there was really no way around it. With one final attack, I plunged my sword through his chest, as he began fading into souls. Only a moment later, and Flynn did the same to Nico, downing him in a similar fashion.

Rhea approached us, her head low to the ground. "Though I can't be gracious, you did what needed to be done. Please, let us leave quickly...I'd rather not have to look at this any longer."

We quickly kept moving, bypassing the two bodies. Only a few feet down the pathway, and several skeleton...towers emerged from the ground. They were a writhing pile of bone, each one significantly taller than any of us, with numerous arms and legs protruding out of it at various heights.

As the tower burst out of the ground, an arm gripped me on its way up, as I ascended high into the air. I was only in the air for a few seconds, as it slammed me to the ground as soon as I reached the highest point.

My back slammed into the ground, sharp rocks digging straight through me, ripping through my armor like it was made of paper. I cried out in pain, trying to reach for my talisman, for Estus...for anything really. I couldn't, though, my shoulder having a massive gouge in it from my fall.

Rhea rushed over to me, kneeling down by my side. This time, it was her to hold her talisman up in the air, directly over my torso. I heard soft mumbling from her lips...a miracle, undoubtedly. I was quickly affirmed of this as I felt my wounds starting to heal, heal faster than they ever from my own miracles. In seconds, I was back onto my feet, any trace of injury all but vanished. "What was that?"

With a sly smile, she looked up. "An advanced healing miracle...I will teach it to you later, if you are interested."

"You make a convincing sales pitch." I held up my shield, blocking another swipe from the tower. Flynn had been distracting it while I was downed, but they really didn't have any clear openings I could see. Now that I was back in fighting shape, I advanced to join him, the two of us attacking it together. Thankfully, it was fairly weak overall - once the initial surprise was out of the way. After a while of attacking it, it eventually fell to pieces, fading away. The next two fell in due time, until we'd cleared the way out.

The three of us kept going, eventually reaching a ladder at the far end of the pathway, which led back out to where we'd previously been. The bonfire was to our right, with the crypt where we'd found the ember to our left. Rhea turned to us, looking towards the exit. "I must thank you again for the escort. You are most kind to aid me."

"We're glad we could help you. What were you saying earlier, about some 'Rite of Kindling'? We found something in one of the crypts in the Catacombs, perhaps this is it?" I pulled out the strange, reddish wisp, barely visible in the light.

At this, Rhea's eyes lit up. "Yes, that's precisely what they described."

I looked to Flynn, my eyes saying what words didn't have to. He gave me a slight nod. "Take it...it's what you were after, and something we weren't." I held it out to her. "I insist."

Without hesitation, she took it, the small wisp fading away into her garb. "You are most gracious, Flynn and Resa. You have helped the Way of White in a monumental fashion...I will not forget this. Please, safe travels to you." With that, she began her journey out of the Tomb, towards the Catacombs, and beyond them, Firelink.

"You as well, Rhea." We turned back, taking the short journey back to the bonfire. The break was only temporary, though - long enough for me to read and understand the Replenishment miracle I'd been given. It seemed somewhat similar to the healing I'd been doing for so long, though subtle differences in the motions and thoughts enabled it to last far longer.

Once we were sufficiently rested, the two of us climbed back to the main pathway, continuing down the trail. When we got back, though, Patches had left where he was, no trace of him. Flynn stopped, looking at the spot we'd been standing by just prior.

"We can't let him trick us a third time. He's the one that turned the bridge...I know it. That, and he kicked us off this. He's not to be trusted."

"Then let's just give him a wide berth. No sense getting caught up in his traps again, as you said. Still...do you think there is a titanite slab here?"

My brother shrugged. "There's no way to know for sure. From what Andre said though, we need more of the titanite chunks. We found one from the knight in the Catacombs, but what was it…one-one-two-two-three. If that's still the case, we need eight more of them before we can use a slab."

"I'll be on the lookout then...maybe we'll find something." I don't know why titanite had started to appeal to me...maybe it was the thought that it wasn't solely for Flynn - I could make ample use of it as well. The falchion had proved an immensely powerful tool thus far, and amplifying that could only prove beneficial.

We kept on down the path, illuminated solely by the glow from Flynn's pyromancy flame. We didn't travel far until another skeleton came into our sight...very much unlike what we'd seen thus far. It stood on four legs, hunched down to the ground, with an almost inhuman skull attached to it. The skull had an elongated snout, almost like some sort of malformed dog. Before I'd even processed everything, it lunged out of the darkness, rushing forward at a blistering speed, getting close enough to snap at me with its teeth. I dodged backwards, bringing up my shield, wielding my falchion once more against the undead. It tried to swipe at me, the forward legs seemingly stretching to swipe at me. I blocked it, rushing forward to counterattack, my divine blade easily cutting through bone. In one attack, I severed one of its legs, forcing it to awkwardly stumble around, desperately trying to find some way to fight back. There wasn't one, though, as I kept up the assault, moving to slide underneath it when it reared up on its hind legs to attack me again. I cut one of its back legs, forcing it down to the ground, where I gave it a quick release.

We pressed forward, rounding a short bend, opening up shortly to a larger cavern. It was impossible to see just what was in here...we simply didn't have the light for it. I took a few cautious steps forward, trying to get a view of our surroundings. Being in the dark had honed my hearing allowing me to tell that there were skeletons here. I could hear the faint rattling of their bones, though I wasn't able to pinpoint just where they were quite yet.

There was something else though, something I hadn't heard yet. It sounded faintly metallic, like the grinding of multiple pieces of metal against themselves...before I had a chance to react, I felt a hand grip the back of my armor, pulling me backwards. I flailed about for a second, only to realize it was Flynn. At the same moment, I heard metal hit the ground, though now I could see it. We'd run into another ght, this one wielding a weapon different from all the others. It looked like a sort of spear, with a head curved only to one side. It was embedded in the ground right where I previously had been, Flynn saving me at the last possible second.

As I got back to my feet, Flynn tried his best to keep the flame lit, sacrificing the use of his shield so that we could see our opponent, the two of them battling it out before I joined in the fray. Flynn was forced to block with his claymore, the relentless assault of the black knight wearing him down bit by bit. Once I was standing again, I lunged forward, reaching for my other blade, ready to make the knight bleed. I got a clean attack off against its waist, Flynn grappling its weapon to keep it defenseless. A thick trickle of blood immediately started pouring from the wound as I arced around, racing around its side as I continued to carve it up.

Once I reached its back, I plunged my weapon straight through its armor, the resistance dropping halfway through as it exited out the front. "Mind heating this up? I want to see how well our little trick does in reverse?"

"You don't have to tell me twice." While the knight was staggered, Flynn flicked his claymore, sending the strange spear flying out of the knight's hand, landing somewhere off in the distance. Now that it was defenseless, Flynn charged up his flame, the small orb growing larger and larger, until it filled the palm of his hand. Immediately afterwards, he let out a short burst of flame, directed at my blade. Instead, all that managed to happen was an absolute destruction of the knight's torso. The fire burned right through it, with such intense power that my sword was pushed out of the body, allowing the fire to race through the small hole it'd cleared. Only a puff of smoke appeared on the other side, lasting only a second before the knight dissolved away.

"I'm going to mark that one down for a 'no', sister. Doesn't seem like we'll be making that work anytime soon."

"On the contrary, it seems to have worked quite well. It's down, isn't it?"

"Well...I guess when you put it that way, I can't argue."

I smiled, patting him on the back as we kept forward. "Glad you see it correctly. Now let's keep going."

We pressed forward, dealing with the few bestial skeletons that littered the area. After clearing them out, we wound our way around the almost mazelike passages, slowly descending down various ramps and holes. After a short bit, we eventually came across a bonfire. It was tucked far away from everywhere else, an elusive path the only way for it to be found. However, I'd spotted it from a higher level, successfully tracking it down once we were close.

Once again, our stay at the bonfire was short, doing little more than a short rest before deciding to continue. I wanted to be out of here, for good. Our only mission was to collect the soul for the Lordvessel...I didn't want that to take any longer than it had to. Though it was hard to tell just what was going on in Flynn's head, I could tell he was barely keeping himself together. Out of necessity, he'd been reduced to little more than a lantern...that had to weigh on him. Still, he carried himself the best he could, and I tried to make sure that he was still able to use his claymore from time to time, in hopes that we didn't have a repeat episode like what happened in the Catacombs.

We left the bonfire, continuing our rambling descent through the winding passages of the Tomb of the Giants. It was impossible to tell just where we needed to go, with an area of vision that barely extended ten feet. As we descended another ramp, we came across a small alcove, a strange glint catching my eye as we almost passed it up. I motioned to Flynn, requesting further investigation.

The alcove was mostly covered with long-gone skeletons...but there was something here far more valuable. We'd already seen something like it, the black knight in the catacombs having dropped one when it was slain. A chunk of gleaming white titanite, not too different from the one prior. I dug it out of the mass of bones, hefting it up, and turning back to Flynn. "So, that makes seven more? Looks like we might be here a while."

He nodded, taking it off my hands to hold onto. "So far, I've always found some foe that occasionally has them. Perhaps we'll get lucky and find a few more before we're done. Besides, it didn't seem like Gwynevere gave us a deadline...we can stay done here as long as we want to make sure we're as strong as possible."

"You'd do that? Flynn, I can't help but notice you hate it down here. We can try to split up. I'm sure you're going to find titanite you want before long, and in all likelihood, need more than we have. I can stay down here and get what I need."

He shook his head, letting out a slight sigh. "You're right on one thing...I can't wait to leave this place. But we don't need to split up. You need light, and it's not like we don't have a constant need for souls. Whatever Quelaana planned for me, it didn't sound cheap. Now, let's just get out of here, at least for the time being."

With that, we continued our trek, taking down more of the bestial skeletons as we meandered seemingly aimlessly through the Tomb. Several times, it felt as if we'd circled back to where we'd been prior, though it was impossible to tell if it was a similar alcove, or the same one. Eventually, we found a ladder, tucked away at the very bottom of the area.

Taking it down, out entire world momentarily burst with light, a sea of blue flooding our vision. Out in the distance appeared to be stone spires, impossibly far away and equally massive. They ascended sprouting from whatever ground lie beneath, and travelling up, piercing through the cerulean veil above. It seemed as if they supported the whole world...which meant we were far below it. The path narrowed down to one small trail, vast openness on our left, with a sharp wall blocking us on our right.

Continuing on, the two of us followed the path, up until there was a split halfway across. The left branch continued on, seeming to stop at a dead end, while the right branch diverged into a cave, fully encased in all sides by rock. At the end of the left branch was a man, moving towards us slowly. He seemed to be someone of holy origins, with a shield emblazoned with a very stylized sun, and white armor accented with golds. HIs weapons was a giant mace, almost to the point of simply being a club.

Flynn dropped his flame...for once, we didn't need it. He was free to use his shield again, bringing it up defensively. As much as I wished that the man marching towards us was a friend, I knew the odds were simply too slim. Given the clear religious influence, he was likely an older member of the Way of White, having gotten lost trying to find the Rite of Kindling, not too dissimilar from Vince and Nito.

As the man drew closer, it was clear that he was, indeed, foe, turning about to swing his weapon at Flynn, who was in front. There wasn't enough room for me to pass him, forcing me to awkwardly stand behind the two of them as they traded blows against their shields. The man was a slow, tactical fighter, striking once, attempting to block Flynn's counterattack, and then following up with his own. In a way, it wasn't too far of from how Flynn fought, causing the two of them to rarely engage, save for the few times when one of them felt daring enough to initiate.

"Flynn...vault me over."

He looked behind his shoulder, defensively holding his shield. "How? Are you going to climb on me?"

"Tip of your claymore. I'll spring off the ground, you launch the blade up. If I'm lucky, I'll go far enough."

"And if you're not?"

"Well...if the angle's wrong, I fall into a bottomless abyss. If the power is too short, I'll land on top of our new friend...or you. I wouldn't worry about the former though, I trust you." While I was joking, there was a very real chance this could backfire. Getting the two of us to flank the man would make taking him down laughably easy, but not in the case that the maneuver failed.

"You're insane. Fine, just wait for him to attack again."

I nodded, my foot at the ready. Flynn went ahead and extended his sword behind himself, offering the tip of the blade to me. I held one foot on the blade lightly, giving him enough room to swing it if he needed to, while I kept the other firmly planted on the ground. I went ahead and looked up, examining my trajectory. The cavern wall did curve inwards, but not for a long ways. The chances of failure seemed low.

My thoughts were interrupted as iron bashed against black iron, the man attempting to break the stalemate. At the same time, I heard Flynn shout 'go', as he wrenched his blade towards the sky. I followed suit, pushing off with my foot on the ground, trying to compound the momentum as I sailed through the air...far higher than expected. I'd managed to go almost perfectly vertical, which mean that I'd end up right back where I started.

"Back up!" As I slowly turned around in midair, all sense of direction practically meaningless, I yelled out the two simple words, hoping they reached Flynn, and made sense if they did. If he backed up enough, and the man followed, I'd still end up behind him, and it would be like we didn't completely mess up.

Thankfully, I wasn't launched far enough for it to be any concern, the weight of Ornstein's armor likely keeping Flynn from truly being able to throw me around. I felt my body stop ascending for a split-second, only to begin falling immediately thereafter. As I rushed towards the ground, I tried to spin my torso around, at least so that I could land in a somewhat dignified position.

Nope. I hit the ground face-first, both arms curled up in front of me as I fell. My shield did little to soften the impact, and I just narrowly missed slamming my head into the flat of my falchion...but I made it. Still a little winded, I gathered myself to my feet, surveying the area. Flynn had backed up enough, now putting me on the other side of the man, his open back fully exposed.

I staggered forward, trying to regain my focus, my vision still somewhat dancing about from the impact. I traded out my weapons, again opting for my other blade, now that I wasn't dealing with skeletons anymore. Once I neared the man, I slashed forward, cutting across his back, the blood already beginning to flow. As he spun around, Flynn now struck, the massive weight of his claymore slamming into the man's back, likely ripping an even greater gash through his flesh.

There was little he could do...it was almost tragic. As soon as he tried to strike one of us, the other would get him first, staggering him enough that his strike was trivial to avoid. Eventually, Flynn struck him hard enough to knock him on his front, both his mace and shield falling from his hands. As soon as they did, it seemed like an almost-imperceptible glow from his body faded away...curious, I stowed away the crystal ring shield, picking up what he'd dropped. Despite it being larger than Flynn's shield, it was surprisingly light, though I'm sure that meant it wasn't as good at absorbing blows. However, I could feel a curious magic present within it, likely the source for the glow. I felt...healthy, in a word. The scratches and cuts I'd gotten from slamming into the ground didn't hurt as much anymore. It was as if the shield itself was a healing miracle, though it acted so slowly that it was hard to notice. It seemed worth keeping around, though I wasn't ready to sacrifice the shield I had just yet.

Flynn took care of the man with one final thrust, gouging a hole through his back as he burst into souls. I motioned to the weapon the man'd dropped. "His shield seems magical. Perhaps his weapon is too, if you'd like it. Seems far too heavy for me."

He shook his head, opting for the weapons he already had. "I can tell it's magical...divine. Every time he hit my shield, I could feel some other force as well, beyond physical, but definitely not like magical, like what we saw in the church or the sewers." He was talking about the strange casters we'd met, and the magical bolts they'd fired. "This was something else, something holy. I don't feel fit to wield such a weapon. If you don't either, I say there's no harm in leaving it for someone that does."

I nodded, deciding to drag the weapon down to the end of the trail, setting it down where we'd first seen him. It wasn't a grave, per se...simply a marker of where he once was. If the Way of White wished to retrieve it, they'd have no trouble. "Alright, let's keep going. We've got to be getting close...we've been here forever."

Flynn nodded, again lighting up his flame as we entered the tunnel. "You don't have to remind me." We traveled down the corridor, barely high enough for Flynn to avoid hitting his head on the occasional low rock, and far too narrow for us to walk abreast. I trailed behind my brother, keeping watch from our rear, making sure that we couldn't get ambushed.

The trail pressed on, winding through the tight cave, eventually opening out on the right hand side to a large cavern, with the path continuing on the left wall. Far in the distance was another huge skeleton, armed with a bow that put the Anor Londo archers to the test. Flynn ducked behind his shield as the arrows immediately came flying, blocking the both of us from their assault. As we neared closer and closer to the skeleton, more towers of bone burst forth from the ground, similar to the one that had ambushed us with Rhea. One-by-one, we cut them down, all the while making sure that a stray arrow didn't knock us off the end of the cliff. Finally, we reached the archer, which was almost helpless at such close range.

The hallway closed off after that, another tight passage, though far shorter than the last. It opened up into another cavern, this one brightly lit enough that Flynn didn't need his flame to see.

What we could see, however, was disturbing. All around the cavern, strange figures garbed identically to the three-headed abomination we'd slain in the crypt stood about the room, groups of three faces and six lanterns all turning to us as we walked right towards them. At the bottom of the cavern seemed to be a small pool of water, but I noticed movement inside...skeletons, barely a foot tall, seemed to be patrolling the lowest level.

Before we had a real chance to react, the cloaked figures started bringing their lanterns together, firing of blast after blast of magical energy towards us. We both brought up our shields, mine absorbing the brunt of the damage to a surprising extent. Physical damage had always had a lingering effect, but almost all of the magic was absorbed into the shield, dampening the barrage.

"I'll start hurling rings. Are you going fire or iron?"

Flynn was already racing forward, running down the slope towards the figures. "Had enough of the fire for once. It's time for my blade."

I started thrusting my shield forward, sending wave after wave of crystal rings towards the group of figures. The rings didn't seem to be terribly strong, but it also seemed that these were not nearly as strong as the original that we'd faced, still falling in a four or five hits. Eventually, I could feel the shield beginning to wear down, small cracks starting to form in the crystal along the side. The rings...it was as if I was sending a portion of the shield's energy along with it, reducing the stability of what was left. I opted instead for lightning spears, Flynn now close enough to draw their attention. We'd taken care of three now, with two more left to be dealt with before the room was cleared. I hurled a lightning spear towards one of them, taking careful not not to fire a greater...whatever had the soul for the Lordvessel would likely be a true test of strength, and not one I intended to take lightly. Thankfully, in two spears, I'd felled one of them, while Flynn battled it out with the final masked man. It was extremely weak in close range, falling to him in only a few strikes.

I walked down the path, coming to join him on the other side of the water. The tiny skeletons tried to give chase, but they were quite weak - enough that a foot was enough to crush them. From here, we continued up the slope, coming to a split path. To the left, there was a steep slope downwards, far too steep to walk on. To the right, it continued upwards, switchbacks leading to another area.

I peered down the left slope, another glint catching my eye. "I...I think there's white titanite down there."

Flynn moved to crouch next to me, the two of us examining. The slope was filled with decrepit brush, making it hard to see...but I swore I could see the unmistakable hue of titanite. "I'll check it out. Wait here." With that, he slid down the ramp, not even bothering to walk as he crashed through the brush, landing at the bottom.

There was a moment of silence between us, as all I could hear was the sound of him breaking through even more brush. Then, finally "You're not going to believe this."

"What?"

"We've found you a slab."

A slab? Perhaps Patches hadn't been lying...no, he had to have been. He just got lucky on what he lied about. We had almost everything we needed: several white titanite chunks, the ember, and now the slab. All it would take now was a few more chunks, and a visit to Andre. "Well, can you carry it?"

"I...I'll strap it to my back. I've got a bit of rope, hold on."

It must be massive...too large for him to really carry. I was lucky it was him that went down, and not me, or else I doubt I'd be able to get it out of its hiding spot. I waited around, hearing Flynn grunt as he worked in the tight confines down there, until I could again hear him sliding down another ramp, followed by a slight splash. In a few moments, he was back up with me, rope strapped around his armor. I walked behind him, examining what exactly we'd just acquired.

It was...massive. Nearly the size of his entire torso, secured firmly by the criss-crossed rope he'd tied. With a piece of titanite so large, I could actually see full inscriptions on it - on the smaller pieces, I'd assumed they were just scuffs and dents, but no. I couldn't hope to read it, with not a single letter looking familiar to me, but it was clear: this was previously a monument of some sort.

Flynn looked behind his shoulder towards me. "It should make it out fine. The bonfire wasn't too far back, and we can use the power of the Lordvessel to get right back to Andre...and Anastacia."

"Then let's try and keep it as protected as possible. I'll watch your back."

He nodded, the two of us moving up towards the top of the switchbacks. We came to another path, blocked by dense thickets that looked about ready to crumple. As I cleared a few out with my falchion, I could see that it was a steep slope downwards, one that we wouldn't be able to walk back up. "Looks like there's no turning back. Are you ready?"

"I guess I've got no choice. We came here for a soul, and it's a soul we're leaving with."

In unison, the two of us jumped from where we were, crashing through the brush that broke at our very touch, sliding a short ways until we were on the ground. There, in front of us...was Gravelord Nito.

At first, I thought it was a massive brute of a man, garbed in a mask of bone. As I looked further though, I could tell that was far from the truth. He was bone, some sort of skeleton, but it seemed far more than one. Dozens of heads littered the front of his body, one prominent one appearing at the top, covered in a tattered black cloak that flowed down his wide body. Though I couldn't see his legs, I could assume there were only two, matching his two, skeletal arms. However, from what I could see of his torso, it appeared to simply be a pile of bones, formed and crushed together to become something more. As for his weapons, in his right hand, he held a massive, curved sword. Ribcages and arms seemed to crawl from the hand holding it and up the blade, as if to suggest that the weapon was part of himself.

Thankfully, this cavern was well lit enough like the previous, meaning that I could see all this from the ambient light in the room, and not because of Flynn's flame. The light didn't cover the entire room, though, as Gravelord Nito skulked out of the shadows directly towards us. Behind him came several skeletons, the size of what we'd seen in the Catacombs. Behind them, however, were three more, these being the massive brutes that had been blocking our way through the tomb.

I turned to Flynn, the two of us scrambling to our feet. "I'll take care of the skeletons, if you can keep him occupied long enough. Once they're down, we can take him on together."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll yell if I need help." The two of us moved in, Flynn splitting off to stand toe-to-toe with our quarry, while I circled around to try and take care of the minions. I didn't want to use more of my shield's power than necessary - it was already starting to wear thin, but I still hurled three rings, each being enough to take down a smaller skeleton. Moving on to the large three, I reached for my falchion, prepared to smite them down.

The three of them all rushed at me, and I rolled through one of their legs, hacking at the bone on my way through, channeling my divine power through the blade. As I climbed back to my feet, I spun about, cutting at all three, managing to knock the injured one to the ground. Two massive blades came crashing down towards me as I nimbly rolled forward again, just barely feeling them clip my shoulder as I did so. However, the pain was immediately lessened, the strange effects of the shield I'd picked up going to work. It wasn't much, but I wasn't going to complain.

I thrust my sword into the downed skeleton, ending it for good, as I turned back to the other...five? The three smaller skeletons had joined the fray again, reattaching their remaining limbs as I looked on. It made sense instantly...Gravelord Nito must be the one that reanimated them, similar to the skeletons in the Catacombs. It seemed my falchion would be putting in some overtime before the end of the day. I rushed forward, hacking down one of the smaller skeletons before being forced into a roll, ducking through a maze of blades before reappearing out the other side. I spun about, cutting down one of the larger skeletons, not stopping until its bones separated and it fell to the ground. As another blade was about to come down on me, I turned around, using the shield on my back to block the brunt of the damage. It was far less effective than if I was holding it, but still better than taking the hit head-on.

With only three left, the tide was turning in my favor. I rushed through the remaining smaller skeletons, taking them down quickly before the big one could react, leaving only it to remain. From then, it was a simple fight, one we'd already done several times trying to get this far. Before long, it too was down.

I turned back to Flynn, watching him fight our quarry. He was holding himself extremely defensively, stalling as long as he could on his own so that we could fight together. As a signal of my completion, I charged up a lightning spear, channeling even more energy using the new miracle I'd learned, and hurled it at Nito. The blast struck him on the shoulder, causing some of the menagerie of bones on him to come flying off, but little else. I advanced, putting my crystal ring shield away, and reaching for the new one. It was larger, more obtrusive, but also more defensive. I might need that in the coming minutes.

" _Two? I have the honor of slaying two undead until the end of time?"_ His voice sounded just like I'd expect it to be: deep and raspy. It was almost haunting, grating against my ears with every word.

We didn't respond...we didn't need to. We were here for the Lordvessel, and little else. We'd saved Rhea, we'd gotten her free. This was all that was left. Now that I'd joined Flynn, he advanced more aggressively, knowing that my miracles would be around to stave off death as needed. I hurled more spears at Nito, each one throwing more and more bones off of him, whittling him down to whatever was really him, and not some freakish decoration. The Gravelord tried to take on Flynn, the massive sword coming down upon him, but he held fast, his shield and strength keeping him upright, until eventually it was repelled.

Once the blade was off him, Flynn brought forth his flame, immediately swelling into a throbbing red ball of fire. I knew what was coming next as he threw the chaos fireball forward, exploding across Nito's chest, as his cloak caught fire. It burned like slowly, but I could see it being eaten away by the flames. Flynn then fired off another pyromancy, this being the sharp gout of fire he'd used earlier, blasting through the bones.

Nito raised his sword up into the air, only to thrust it into the ground a moment later, completely missing Flynn...or so I thought. An illusory version of the same blade burst from the ground beneath his feet at the same time, sending my brother flying into the air, only to crash down in a heap of metal. I watched as he tried to get up, but it seemed that his usual strength was failing him.

I rushed over, kneeling down. "How are you hurt."

"Poison...Blighttown."

I knew what he meant...I'd never forget those poison darts as long as I lived. I had a solution, though, a new one...Replenishment. Rhea had said that it restored health over time. Maybe it could help counteract, or even negate, the effects of the poisons, at least until Flynn's body fought them off. I held up my talisman, focusing on the motions that I'd practiced only a few times before, until the miracle went off successfully. A warm glow immediately enveloped Flynn's form, as the miracle fought of the poison inside him.

"That's...that's better." As he tried to get back up to his feet, Nito had made his way over, preparing to take us down with his blade. I saw it coming moments before it would hit, throwing myself across Flynn's body, not quite able to position my shield in time. I was slammed into him, the sword cutting across my armor and into my flesh, ripping away violently.

The two of us got back to our feet, and I reached for my estus flask, taking a swig of the liquid, feeling its restorative effects go to work promptly. The fight resumed, the two of us mixing lightning and fire in with iron and steel as well, spears and fireballs blades all crashing against Nito with little resistance. More and more of the decorative bones continued to fly off, until eventually all that was left was the burning cloak and his body.

I had an idea...a stupid one, but one that would likely help us take our quarry down. Through his cloak, I could see his body: several smaller ribcages mashed together to create something larger. Without a second thought, I rushed towards him, through Flynn, ducking underneath Nito only to emerge out his back. I leaped towards his cloak, finding ample handholds and footholds in the form of ribs. I climbed up his back, avoiding the cloak, as he looked around, trying to reach and get me off of him. Whenever an arm got too close, I batted it away with my falchion, the divine energy being more than enough to repel him. Eventually, I'd reached his shoulders, where I could go to work.

I plunged my sword into him, cutting at the bones, slicing through them with reckless abandon. Nito flailed in pain, unable to effectively get to me, and instead opting for Flynn.

" _I am Nito! I am Death! I cannot...I will not be defeated!"_

He swiped at Flynn, who simply blocked the halfhearted attack with his shield, now closing the distance between the two. From below, I saw a roar of flame as another fireball or two was let loose, these now melting through the collection of ribcages, breaking him apart. Up above, I continued my attack, now moving directly to his skull, and plunging my falchion straight through his head.

That was what did it. Gravelord Nito crumpled to the ground, a terrifying wail echoing through the room as the massive pile of bones fell apart. Eventually, all that was left was one final, glowing light. Unlike the previous souls we'd collected, this one was almost burning a bright orange, seemingly far stronger than the previous souls we'd collected.

I turned to Flynn, holding the trophy up. "So...three more?"


	21. Chapter 21

**Flynn**

 **SL59 - 24 VIT - 15 ATT - 23 END - 36 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL59 - 20 VIT - 23 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 21 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 31 FTH**

 **Flynn**

We'd finally claimed our first soul...Gravelord Nito's. The faint flicker of the soul dimly illuminated the room, doing scarce more than casting our shadows across the back walls of the cavern. Resa pocketed the soul away, and the two of us began searching for a way out. The slope we fell down to get here was far too steep to ascend...perhaps we were trapped?

Thankfully, that wasn't the case. I circled about the cavern, until finally stumbling upon a bonfire, positioned right near one of the largest crypts we'd seen yet. It had to be Nito's...it only made sense. Unlike many of the others, it was completely ajar, and equally empty inside due to the recent death of its tenant.

I called my sister over, the two of us taking a rest at the bonfire, calming down after the fight we'd just gone through. "So, what now? I for one would like to get this slab off my back, but we're going to need a few more materials before we can adequately use it. What's on your agenda?"

"Well, I intend to visit Rhea, obviously. I'm sure she's waiting for me up there, and I'd like to not keep her waiting. After that, I figure we'd visit Andre, for the same reasons as you. After that...we'll see where we're taken."

I nodded. We had three more souls to collect: Izalith, New Londo, and the Duke's Archives. We knew where all three were located, it was simply a matter of reaching them. Personally, I wanted to find Izalith, in hopes that we'd be able to save Quelaan and her kin. However, we'd just recently spent quite a while hunting down Lautrec, and chasing him through half of Lordran to do so...I didn't want to impose my agenda on my sister again. "I'll spend some time gathering white titanite, and I can meet you at Andre's once you're finished. Assuming we can split up, of course." We hadn't yet tested whether we could use the Lordvessel's power to go separate ways, but I had a hope that we could.

"Are you sure, Flynn? I'm more than willing to help you if you want it."

I lit my pyromancy flame, letting the ember dance around in my hand. I wanted it larger...stronger. To do that, I needed souls, and plenty of them. "I'll handle myself, don't worry. If worse becomes worst, I can use my Estus Flask for a change."

Resa smiled. "Alright. Well, I'll head to to the church. Stay safe."

"Send my greetings to Anastacia if you see her."

She shook her head, grinning. "Of course, brother."

I took a few steps back from the bonfire as my sister closed her eyes, focusing on where she wanted to go. I felt a tugging in my gut, as if my very being was telling me to follow her, but I fought it, distancing myself even further from the bonfire. Eventually, in the blink of an eye, she vanished.

With great effort, I climbed back out the way we'd came, my axe and sword carrying me up the steep slope we'd fallen through. The previous chamber was highly dangerous...whatever masked figure inhabited the place making it thus, but I was confident. In the Iron Golem's armor, I felt invincible...no, I was invincible. I was growing stronger, quickly. In fact, the Golem's axe felt comfortable enough to grip in one hand, and still swing about effectively. I decided to give it a try, keeping my claymore at my back for when I might need it.

I fought the masked figures alone, being far more careful than I would be if my sister was around. What I found was that, occasionally, they were carrying white titanite, making my search far easier than I'd imagined. What I also found though, was far more valuable. At the bottom of the cavern was a small pool of water...we'd both seen small skeletons moving about. What I found, though, was they carried humanity...and they never seemed to stop coming. Just as I thought I'd cleared them all out, five more would come rushing at my feet, an endless font of humanity ripe for the picking. I had to force myself to return to the bonfire on occasion, focusing on the true reason of why I was down here.

Eventually, I'd collected enough of the titanite, having terrorized the area for long enough. However, I'd also collected plenty of humanity, far more than I could ever have hoped to...possibly enough to finally save Quelaan. Satisfied, I slid down the ramp one last time, returning to the bonfire.

Before I left, though, I wanted to try something. The Iron Golem's axe felt comfortable - not once in my search did I have to resort to my claymore. I wanted to see what else I had grown to accommodate. I pulled out the demon blade that I'd taken from the goat demon so long ago, as well as the greatshield I'd taken from the massive knights in Anor Londo.

I tried the shield first, hoping that I'd finally be able to rid myself of the black knight's shield. It had served me well...but I had outgrown it. This new shield, however, was positively massive, and exactly what I needed. I held it up, getting a feel for the weight. I could use this, if needed to. It covered nearly three-quarters of my body, giving me an impenetrable wall of defense to hid behind. I was ready for it.

Next was the demon blade. It, unfortunately, was still too heavy to be used with one hand. My swings felt slow, and only the slowest of opponents would ever be caught by them. Two-handed, however, I still felt plenty comfortable, as I always had. I'd finally outgrown the claymore, as well...it had served me magnificently, but its time had come to an end. I put both the shield and the blade into the bottomless box, finalizing my metamorphosis. I was far different from the man that had entered Lordran, at least physically. In Thorolund, nobody could possibly wear armor like this, carry a shield this massive, or wield blades of this size. Perhaps that was an effect of the undead curse...nearly limitless potential. Whatever it was, I couldn't complain. Being this indestructible felt good.

* * *

 **Resa**

I emerged at the bonfire at Firelink shrine, standing up to move towards the pit, near the Lordvessel. I didn't want to run the risk of losing the souls that we had...I didn't know what could happen then. There was no harm in depositing the one we'd picked up as soon as we got it.

I stood at the edge of the pit, looking down. Every bone in my body told me to turn back, that only a fool would leap into the unknown...but it was known. I'd done it once before, and I'd do it again. With a single step forward, I plunged myself into darkness, the feel of the wind rushing through my hair being the only sensation for quite a while, until I began to slow down again. A short while later, and I was on the ground again, standing before the massive alter.

I didn't want to waste any time...there were other pressing matters to attend to. I took Nito's soul, placing it into the Lordvessel. As soon as I did so, the Lordvessel practically swallowed it from my hand, sucking the soul into the deepest recesses of the bowl. A gout of fire burst forth, settling down to a small flame, though emitting no heat.

The door also seemed to react to the presence of such a powerful soul. I heard it shudder, as if trying to open. However, it wasn't enough...we only had a fraction of the souls that we needed, after all.

Finished, I knelt before the altar, this time visualizing Andre's tower, until I could feel myself being whisked away by the Lordvessel. When I opened my eyes, I was precisely there, sitting not too far from Anastacia. "Greetings, Resa. There's someone here that wished to meet you."

I turned towards the firekeeper, curious. Before I could ask a question, she continued. "A woman, a follower of the Way of White. She introduced herself as Rhea, and said she was expecting you." Anastacia pointed up, towards the exit to the tower. "She said she'd meet you inside the church. I don't know more than that."

I stood up, nodding gratefully. "Thank you, Anastacia. Flynn sends his regards...he should be here soon."

I could see her cheeks redden, and she folded herself up slightly more. "I-is he doing well?"

Internally, I rolled my eyes, shook my head...everything. The two of them were hopeless. "He's fine, yes. The two of us just split up to accomplish what we each needed to do."

The firekeeper nodded as I walked off, towards the church. Flynn and Anastacia...I wasn't about to give my brother help on this. Truthfully, it was entertaining enough simply watching him fawn over her, and now that I knew she felt the same, that made it that much more amusing. If it was meant to be, one of them would make the move.

I climbed up the stairs, exiting the tower to walk towards the church proper. I had an idea of where Rhea would be - there was an altar, after all. I wasn't surprised when I found her there, on her knees, deep in the midst of prayer. I paused, standing by the entrance to the church, allowing her to finish her worship.

After a few minutes, she opened her eyes, looking up towards the statue adorning the far wall. It was of a woman, draped in flowing cloth, clutching a child close to her face. I could only assume it was a goddess, based on its location...perhaps the very goddess Rhea worshipped. Rhea turned her head to me, a slight smile forming across her lips. "You've made it. Pray tell, have you quelled Gravelord Nito?"

I nodded, advancing further into the church. "We did, yes. Did you return safely?"

She nodded. "I found little resistance returning to the shrine. I must thank you again for rescuing me in the Tomb...I would be lost without your assistance." She paused, moving behind the altar to pull out a collection of scrolls. "However, onto the matter at hand. You wish to be taught...I can teach you. What is it you desire to learn, Resa?"

"What was the miracle you used in the Tomb? Whatever it was, it was a powerful healing miracle. I have no doubt that would be useful to us in the future."

She nodded, reaching for a particularly decorated scroll. "It is known as Great Heal, and does what you would assume. You will find that you can use it less than the healing you are familiar with, but each cast is far more potent. If you only came here for one miracle, this would be what I would suggest."

I nodded along, enraptured by her wares. This must have been what Flynn felt like when he spoke with Laurentius or Quelaana...so many options at my fingertips. "Is there another you would suggest?"

At this, she reached for two different scrolls, one somewhat rugged, while the other looked very well maintained. "That depends on what you desire." She opened up the dingy scroll first. "This will not aid you in combat, but perhaps you would find use for it elsewhere. It is called Homeward...a rather curious miracle. Casting it will send you back to the bonfire you were most recently at, instantaneously."

She reached for the other scroll, moving to stand up. "For this...I believe a demonstration would provide more than words ever could. It is known as the Wrath of the Gods...for good reason. You might wish to hold onto something" She moved over towards some of the pews that still remained intact, clutching her talisman close to her chest. I could hear her begin muttering words - likely the miracle. As she did, it seemed as if a bubble began forming around her, one made of pure energy. As she spoke the final word, a loud blast rang out through the entire church as the bubble blasted outwards. The two pews closest to her were thrown several feet back, breaking them partially in the process. I, too, was slightly buffeted, managing to keep myself standing as I gripped onto the wall.

Rhea walked back to just in front of the altar, taking a seat. "As you can see, it is one of very few combat miracles the Way of White possesses. Again, it is not something you can use liberally, or you will find yourself tiring far faster than you would like. However, if you are ever cornered…" A smirk played across her lips. "It has never failed me."

So this was how she made it through the Catacombs safely...alone. Rhea was far from the defenseless maiden I had thought I was coming to meet, not that that was a problem for me. "I'd like all three, if you would."

"Very well, Resa. I pray that they will aid you in the future." As she held out her hand, the transaction was made, and Rhea handed over the three scrolls.

"Stay safe, Rhea. I know that Vince and Nico succumbed to the darkness…"

"I am here, in a church to the Gods of Lordran. Whatever may happen to me, the Gods will not abandon an acolyte such as myself. Please, go be with your brother. You have saved me once, I would feel guilty if you worried about me further."

I nodded, taking my leave. "Thank you for the teachings, Rhea. I will put them to good use." With that, I returned to Andre's tower, walking down the stairs to the bonfire. Flynn had not returned yet...I could only assume it would take him quite a while until he was finished. I took some time, sitting by the bonfire, reading the three new scrolls that I had just acquired. None of them were particularly complicated...in fact, the wrath of the gods was the simplest of all, due to its necessity to be performed quickly.

Flynn still wasn't back...perhaps white titanite was far harder to acquire than I had assumed. I looked at my falchion...was this what I wanted? I reached for the blade I'd acquired in Anor Londo. It felt wrong, not granting divine strength to a weapon obtained in a holy place. By comparison, we found the falchion at the base of Blighttown, far from any sign of the Gods.

I turned to Anastacia. "If Flynn arrives before I return, will you tell him to wait for me?"

She nodded. With that, I knelt by the bonfire, envisioning my destination.

* * *

 **Flynn**

I knelt by the bonfire, envisioning Andre's tower, and the bonfire just above his shop. It had been quite a while since I'd even been close to there...walking through Firelink shrine might have been it. Since then, we'd picked up another ember, one that would hopefully allow Resa's falchion to become as powerful as possible. We'd also acquired all of the titanite necessary to do so, or so I hoped. All that was left now was to meet up, and we could see if our efforts were successful.

When I arrived at the bonfire, however...Resa wasn't there. In front of me sat Anastacia, curled up in the far corner. "Your sister left not long ago. She said to wait for her to return."

Odd...that wasn't part of what we'd planned. "Did she say where she was headed?" It was odd that Anastacia had immediately recognized me...since we'd last seen each other, I was using different armor, weapons, and a shield. And yet, there was no hesitation in her voice...she knew who I was.

The firekeeper shook her head. "If I knew, I would have told you."

I moved to sit beside Anastacia, taking off my helmet, and setting my armaments aside. Still, I was incredibly bulky, the Iron Golem's armor immensely top-heavy by design, with extremely broad shoulders. When I hit the floor, I felt her head come to rest on my right shoulder, barely perceptible through the thick armor. "Have you been safe?"

I felt her nod a response. "Andre comes to make sure I'm safe from time to time...I can tell he truly cares. Other than that, there haven't been many other travelers. Still, it's nice to be released from the cage I'd been left in. I don't think I've ever thanked you for that, at least verbally. So, thank you." I heard a soft chuckle flee her lips afterward.

"I...I couldn't leave you I think you know that. I just wish...Lautrec - "

She rolled across my shoulder, turning to directly face me. She pressed her index finger against my mouth, silencing me. "You can't hold yourself responsible for something you couldn't control. The only way you could have saved me would have been to slay him, and we both know you wouldn't do that. However, you risked so much for me, and for that I can never fully repay you. Please, let the past stay in the past." With that, she leaned closer, her arms coming to wrap around my waist. Her head now rested above my actual shoulder, not the one portrayed by the armor.

"I...okay." I'd never been in this situation before. I'd spent so long slaying everything I'd come across, and not looking back. But now, in this moment - one of complete tenderness...I didn't know what to do. I did the only thing I could think of, moving to wrap my arms around her, pulling her closer to me.

The silence that followed was beyond awkward. It was clear that neither of us were use this situation, and had no idea what to do about it now that we were in it. I simply sat there, holding her close to me, the two of us scarcely moving as we enjoyed the other's company.

"Well...ye two certainly make for an odd pair."

I hadn't noticed the din of Andre's forge dying down, nor did I hear the sound of footsteps coming up from below. The gruff voice startled both of us, throwing our arms back to ourselves, and Anastacia swiftly rolled away from me, returning to her usual corner.

The smith chuckled, bouncing his hammer in his hand. "Don't ye be getting the wrong idea. Ye don't see something like that too often in Lordran, so ye'd be a fool to push it away. Anyways, Flynn, what can I do ye for? Or did ye simply come by to say hello, and meet with yer lady friend?"

I blushed, furiously...for once, I didn't have the helmet on to guard myself. I quickly rectified that, standing up and donning the headpiece. "Resa should be here soon...apparently she left for somewhere. We've found several things I think you'd like. Another ember, and by the looks of it, divine. To go along with it, we found a white titanite slab, as well as - "

"Did ye say a slab?" I nodded my affirmation, and the smith continued. "Well...I can't remember the last time somebody brought me one of those. Tell yer sister to get back here so we can put it to use!"

As if on cue, Resa appeared next to the bonfire, turning to the group. She held out the sword she'd acquired in Anor Londo, from the strange white-garbed foes. "Change of plans...I'd like to use this one instead of the falchion. I had a visit to Anor Londo to buy the components we still needed." She held out a few pieces of green titanite...the blacksmith there must have sold them.

Andre waved us towards the stairs, beckoning us to his forge. "Well then, let's not waste this. I'm itching to get to work."

I retrieved the slab from the bottomless box, as well as all of the other white titanite I'd collected. The three of us descended the stairs, down towards the smithery. Once there, Resa handed over the sword, the ember, and the green titanite, while I gave Andre the white.

I turned to look at Resa. She seemed just as enraptured as I had been when Andre had first started talking about titanite. And yet, now...my mind was elsewhere. "I'll wait for you two to finish. I need to get something off my chest." I didn't give them a chance to say anything, I simply ascended the staircase once again, returning to the bonfire...and Anastacia.

I took a seat beside the firekeeper once again, taking off my helmet. Almost instinctively, I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to me. "What are we going to do...about this? I can't stay here with you, and you can't come with me."

"I can, Flynn...you just wouldn't let me."

"You're right, I wouldn't. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you while you were with me - I barely can even when you weren't."

"I understand, Flynn. I'm no fool to the feelings stirring inside of me...though they are foreign, I have no misunderstanding as to what they mean. I don't expect you to give up your journey for me. Just...visit when you can spare the time. Being around you makes me feel safe, and that's another concept that's foreign to me." As she said that, she leaned over, planting her lips on my cheek. "I know you're not willing to lose me again...I'm not willing to lose you either."

My head was practically swimming right now, a river of thoughts all flowing through me at once, only a few of them intelligible. I plucked one from the void, hoping for the best. "So...I take that as we feel the same way towards each other?"

She chuckled, nodding. "It certainly appears that way. Now please, go be with your sister. Andre told me how fascinated you are with titanite. I can't imagine not being there is easy for you."

At the same time, I heard my sister calling out from downstairs. "Flynn, get down here! This is important."

I looked towards Anastacia, letting out a sigh. "I guess that means I should be on my way."

The firekeeper nodded, leaning towards me again to plant a second kiss on my cheek. "Stay safe, my knight."

I stood up, donning my helmet, grabbing my armaments as I descended the stairs yet again. As I wrapped around the outer wall, I caught a glimpse of Resa's sword. It wasn't glowing...that wasn't an apt enough description. It was positively radiant, far brighter than any torch or flame I'd ever seen - even my own. As she was holding it, I saw the light fluctuate, displaying her mastery of this new blade. I couldn't see the slab anywhere around, suggesting that they'd finished.

In Andre's calloused hands was a large disk, slightly smaller than his chest. I could see that it was decorated with very intricate designs, but the dark color of the stone made it hard to see just what was depicted. Once I reached the floor, Andre spoke up. "Resa told me what ye've been tasked with...that's no small job, kids. Ye'll need this if ye wish to complete it, though. Deep in the Garden, ye'll find a door ye can't open. Beyond it, I don't know what all ye'll find, but I can say that there's a wolf...a wolf named Sif. She has something ye'll need...something to walk the Abyss like her old master. Please, treat her with respect, but I understand what ye have to do."

Andre walked over and handed the disk to me, the suprising weight dragging me down before I was accustomed to it. "Now please, don't be shy. If ye find any more slabs or embers, I'll be happy to take them of yer hands."

My sister spoke up. "And where is the Abyss now, exactly?"

The smith shrugged. "I wish I knew...all I know about is this tower, and a bit of the garden. What I do know, is that it's utter darkness. Ye'd get lost forever there, and that's assuming ye'd even be able to survive. What Sif has, however, prevents that."

A place of utter darkness...it sounded like the fall towards the Lordvessel's altar, but it couldn't be...that was simply a long fall. From what little the smith had said, it sounded like this was an infinite plane of darkness, not some part of Lordran. Whatever resided there had to be dangerous and powerful...something we'd probably have to slay anyways.

I turned to Resa. "We're here. There's no reason to put this off any longer than we need to."

She nodded, turning to the blacksmith. "Thank you, Andre. I know this must not be easy for you."

"Just...don't tell me how it ends. I've been keeping her a secret for so long, I'd rather not be told ye've slain her."

The two of us nodded, descending the staircase that led towards the garden. With the stone in my hand, I was more or less deadweight, unable to hold my weapons without letting it roll to the floor. For that reason, Resa led for the time being, her holy blade illuminating the path forward. The first chamber we came to was the one with the titanite demon, and yet again, we circumvented it. Even though I was in obnoxiously heavy armor, I had no problem sprinting past the beast, getting the two of us safely to the other side. From there, we pressed forward, Resa easily cutting down any and all of the plant life that tried to ambush us on our way to the door. I knew which one he was talking about...I'd noticed it when we came through and fought the butterfly.

Eventually, we neared the door, the bonfire to the left still happily burning away. I reached up, holding the disk towards the door, just barely having enough height to place it into the obvious socket. As soon as I did so, the entire door rumbled, slowly opening inwards until it came to a halt.

Inside, even more lush forest spread out before me, practically limitless. However, I also noticed ephemeral beings, roughly humanoid in shape, standing amidst the trees. They were hard to see, given the low light and their lack of a physical body, but I could tell there was something there.

"Let's take a break at the bonfire, reset our position. I'd rather not have to hike all the way back here should things go south." Resa moved towards the alcove, taking a seat by the fire.

As I moved to join her, I could see a playful expression plastered across her features. "So...I want to know."

I feigned a mixture of disinterest and ambivalence, both of which were mostly true. "Want to know what?"

"Don't play dumb, Flynn. You skipped out on Andre forging with a titanite slab to talk to Anastacia. We might not even find another one of those...ever. You're head over heels for her and I'm fully supportive of this. This is just...it's so unlike you. I want to know why she's so special to you."

"Sister...we ran through the church, the sewers, Blighttown, Sen's Fortress, and Anor Londo. All because of her. I watched her be brought back to life with my own eyes. I don't have a reason for why I love her...I just don't have a reason why I don't." I'd said it, unknowingly. 'Love'. I'd owned it now, whether I was ready to or not.

"That's...I didn't know you had it in you, brother." With that, we were silent, washing away the woes of the land by the bonfire. Eventually, after we were rested, we departed, through the door, and even deeper into the Garden.

As we stepped through the door, the ephemeral figures seemed to take notice, drawing closer to the staircase we were descending to reach the floor of the garden. As they drew nearer, I could make out more of them...warriors, from all different walks of life. Some carried staves, others carried swords, all of them almost blending in amidst the foggy ground of the Garden. Their weapons were drawn, however, and the first thing to attack us was one of the sorcerers. A beam of magical energy soared through the air towards me, and I held up my greatshield, easily diffusing the energy. Dozens more ephemeral warriors began closing in on us, clearly eager not to let us leave.

Resa looked at me. "We've got to go. We can't take on them all."

I nodded. For once, the correct way out didn't involve hacking through everything in our way. I broke out into a run, Resa easily being able to sprint ahead of me, as we blindly ran further into the garden. We didn't know where to go, where Sif would be hiding...but we would find out.

As I ran, some of the more nimble ghosts caught up, lunging at me with daggers, rapiers, or scimitars. I could feel my back being cut, blades cleaving straight through my armor, and into the flesh beneath. It was tolerable, somehow...but I was well aware that I couldn't keep this up forever. As I ran, I spun about, swiping at the air with my axe in one fluid motion, knocking back the adversaries currently on me. It bought me a little time, but not much, as they quickly ran to regain the distance.

I chased after Resa, hoping that she was running in the right direction. A few seconds later, she changed direction, angling more towards the right. She'd seen something...that would explain it. She looked back, seeing me running after her, and the mob of ghosts running after me. She stopped in her tracks, holding up her talisman, crossing both arms across her chest. "Run past me! There's a bridge."

Confusing...but I didn't want to question her. After a few more seconds, I finally caught up to her, finding the bridge she spoke of. It was a dilapidated thing, one of the two walls guarding it nearly completely broken down. I altered my course, starting to run out of breath from moving not only myself, but my armor.

As I passed my sister, I turned around, curious what she had planned. She waited another second until the phantoms were nearly on top of her, and I could see a strange sphere begin to encircle her...this was new. The sphere grew more defined as time went on, until it almost appeared to be a physical shell around her - but of course it wasn't. As soon as the ghosts were within slashing distance of her, she released the orb, violently expanding outwards.

Trees shook. A thunderclap ripped through my ears a second later as the miracle made its way to me. Bodies flew back from the sheer power that had just been unleashed. She'd bought us time, though it was hard to tell how much. As soon as the miracle had been cast, she spun about, immediately breaking out into a sprint to catch up to me.

I passed through the opening to the bridge first, still running for my life. Even with a miracle as powerful as that, I didn't sense the usual influx of souls from eliminating a foe, which meant that she hadn't killed a single one with that. This was an army, one that I had no intention of fighting. I continued across the bridge, going through the doorway on the opposite side. Ahead of me was even more garden, partially obscured by the ruins of the staircase leading down to them. I simply vaulted over the edge, raising up my shield to support me as I careened into the far wall. I hit the ground a moment later, continuing my sprint forward into the Garden.

This area seemed empty...unnaturally so. After a few seconds, I settled down into a walk, waiting for Resa to catch up. I heard her footsteps moving across the bridge, eventually quickening as she descended the staircase. A few moments later, and we were reunited again.

"What...what was that?"

She shook her head, still clutching her talisman. "I don't know. They don't seem to be hurt easily, whatever they are. I've got a way to get us out of here without walking through them, courtesy of Rhea."

"I'll take you up on that." I kept watch behind us, waiting to see if we'd have to break out into a run again. However, it seemed like the phantoms were willing to let us walk...perhaps they stopped at the bridge. We kept moving forward, catching our breath with a slow walk, still somewhat aimlessly exploring the Garden. Eventually, we clearly stumbled upon our target - deeper into the garden, I could see a massive door, even larger than the one we'd come through.

We moved faster now, straight towards the door, taking the slope down to the bridge that led directly to it.

"So...this must be where we'll find Sif. Did Andre tell you what she was?"

Resa shook her head. "I know nothing more than you do, brother. However, it sounds like she guards something we need. We...don't have a choice."

"We always have a choice. Damn Gwynevere and her father...nothing's telling us to do this. I know I said I'd go hollow without a quest to pursue, but if we have to slay old friends...is it worth it?"

"Flynn...we gave Gwynevere our word. We said we'd fill the Lordvessel. I'm not backing down on that promise I made to her. I don't like what we're doing either...understand that."

I did. I knew exactly where she was coming from, that we told Gwynevere we'd fulfill her request...but I didn't want to break bonds I already had. Still, if Resa was intent on going in there, I wouldn't let her go alone. Once we got to the door, I pushed it open, finding it to be immeasurably heavy. Still, it creaked open, eventually admitting us to the other side before it slammed shut under its own weight.

On the other side, a single grave stood before us, indecipherable writing etched upon it. In front of it sat a single sword, partially submerged in the ground, and yet still multiple times longer than I was tall. From behind the grave, I heard the cry of a wolf...a cry that shook the trees and rustled the grass at my feet. The beast that issued it slinked out from behind the grave...Sif. It had to be.

She wrapped around the grave, tilting her head such that she could bite the handle of the sword. With little effort, she pried it from the ground, swinging it around so that it flanked the left side of her body. She was guarding the tomb, that much was clear. But we weren't here for the tomb...or were we?" I drew forth my axe and shield, rushing to meet our opponent. I didn't get a choice now. The door was shut tight, and there was little hope I'd be able to open it in time while under attack.

The beast charged forward, thunderous footsteps shaking the ground beneath my feet with each step, even though the wolf moved with a level of grace and dexterity. As it neared, the sword clutched in its mouth swiveled around, the blade lunging forward to meet me. I held up my greatshield, standing fast as I awaited the blow.

The sheer strength that collided into me caught me off guard - but I held my ground. The sword slammed to a halt right at my side, Sif actually managing to convey a look of surprise.

From behind me, I heard the familiar crackling of lightning roaring to life behind me, a break in the battle giving me a chance to see it soar over my shoulder, straight into the wolf's. It recoiled from the strike, lifting its injured leg up off the ground as if it we'd gravely injured it.

I bought the act...my sister didn't. Another spear caming soaring past me, and then another, as the wolf and I dueled it out in close range. It was extremely nimble, capable of leaping a massive distance away, preventing me from staying safe underneath its torso. Resa was putting out most of the pain against it, the seemingly endless stream of spears peppering its flanks.

As easily as it could have been for me to simply hurl a fireball at it, I couldn't bring myself to. Perhaps it was because we were in the same place we'd tried to show the butterfly mercy, or perhaps it was simply what Andre had told us...but I couldn't convince myself to give the fight my all. I held my ground when I could, lashing out defensively whenever the opportunity arose. As bad as it was, I was hoping that Resa would finish it off before I had to.

Eventually, the torrent of spears came to a halt, as I feared they would. "I...I can't do any more!"

Without her spears, she was reduced to her blade, forcing her into melee range. After a few seconds, she joined me beneath Sif, the two of us taking on different legs. Once again, the wolf dashed backwards, granting itself plenty of distance to wait for our reaction. We didn't get much of a choice, though...if we didn't run to catch up to her, Sif's sword would make quick work of us.

I rushed forward to meet her, Resa moving past me, her lighter armor affording her the mobility to do so. Once again, Sif reared her head back, swinging the sword about in a wide arc in front of her. This time, however, she kept spinning, blade slowly lowering to the ground, the massive beast spinning in place as the sword continued to ground level. Resa was safe...for the blade to hit her, the tip would have to dig into the ground. I, however, was far from safe. The beast was smart...it knew that momentum would help it to counteract my heft, and fought accordingly.

I had only one option - fight back harder. The next rotation of the arc would hit me, regardless of whether I ran forward, backward, or stayed put. I planted myself on the ground, reaching for the demon blade on my back, momentarily gripping it with two hands as I thrust it into the ground. My sheer strength, combined with the heavy blade, dug it several feet into the ground, wedging it firmly in place. Just as Sif's blade was about to come back around, I regripped my shield and the blade, curious to see who would win out.

The force of the blade rattled my entire body as it slammed into me, my shield bashing into the demon blade, as both were drug through the ground, leaving a gash across the dirt from my weapon. With all my might, I managed to hold on, however, moving with it instead of being sent flying off like I had expected. Slowly, I came to a stop, a pile of dirt dug up at my feet from the crevice I'd formed.

I had to end this...I had all the capabilities to, and yet I wasn't giving this fight my all. Resa was right...we'd made a promise to Gwynevere, and I couldn't back out on that now.

I plucked my blade from the earth, loose dirt flying into the air, as I rushed towards my sister. "I'll vault you up. Get ready!" We'd pulled something like this off before, in the Tomb, but now she could use my shield as a foothold, not the tip of my blade. As I neared Sif's legs, Resa came rushing out from underneath her, taking a leap into the air. I dove to the ground, holding my shield out above me, waiting until I felt my sister firmly plant herself on it. As she crouched down, I pushed forward, propelling her upwards and forwards, Resa compounding this by leaping from my shield. She soared through the air perfectly on target, holding her blade forward in one hand to assist her landing.

She struck the beast with her falchion, hilting it immediately into the wolf's hide, her other hand grabbing a fistful of fur. She'd almost perfectly landing on the beast's back, using her falchion as a sort of climber's axe to drag herself up the rest of the way. With each punch of her blade, I could see Sif shudder, the wounds cutting far deeper than they did against her legs.

I brought myself back to my feet, rushing towards Sif, throwing my entire weight behind my shield as I slammed into one of her legs. I heard the crunch of broken bones, her leg instinctively rising up, avoiding putting any pressure on it at all. For a moment, guilt welled up inside me, watching the elegant beast gingerly hop about on three legs. However, Sif had tried that already...I wasn't giving her a second chance. I could hear whimpers coming from the dog now, Resa surely doing a number on her back with her falchion, likely going to finally slay the beast in a few moments.

I kept up the fight, bashing into another one of her legs, not quite crumpling it like I did the last one. Just as I swung my axe, the leg disappeared right in front of me, my swing throwing my entire balance off as my target dissolved before my eyes.

A second later, and I heard Resa slam into the ground, her position atop the beast not quite as forgiving for when it perished. I turned about, finding her dusting herself off. In one hand, she held up a small green band, a single blue gem pressed into its surface. "I think this may be what we were looking for."


	22. Chapter 22

**Flynn**

 **SL61 - 24 VIT - 17 ATT - 23 END - 36 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL61 - 22 VIT - 23 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 21 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 31 FTH**

 **Flynn**

As Resa studied the green ring we'd just obtained, I could see a shimmering from behind her, near where we'd just slain Sif. I circled my sister, looking behind her to find the familiar glow of a soul lying dormant on the ground. So Sif...she was strong enough to preserve her soul on death? It seemed fitting, the way Andre had so reverently thought of her. Carefully, I lifted it up, gently tucking it away for possible use later. Thus far, the only thing we knew to do with it was take it to the blacksmith in Anor Londo...or crush the soul now. The thought was revulsive, a complete disgrace to the beast we'd slain. It would be best to preserve her essence as a weapon, if we were going to use it at all. Perhaps it would be best to just let her rest, and not let her death shape her into a weapon of war. It didn't seem like that was what Sif had wanted, locking herself far away from any remnants of civilization.

I returned to Rhea, still curious about the ring she was holding. She had taken off the snake ring we'd found in Sen's Fortress, the simple green band now adorning her delicate features. "I...I don't feel any different."

"Andre said it would allow us to traverse the Abyss. I doubt it will have any effect anywhere else, though I guess I wouldn't rule out the possibility. Speaking of, where do you think the Abyss is?"

She shrugged, moving towards the immense tombstone in the middle of the area. "I know you want to say Izalith, but I don't know. If you'd like to check there, we can. I'm willing to rule out the place by Anor Londo...that area was so positively radiant with holy energy, I can't imagine something like the Abyss being practically adjacent. Between Izalith and New Londo, however...I haven't the slightest clue."

"You should pick." We both said it at the same time, awkwardly looking at each other afterwards. I took the initiative, following it up. "Resa, you've done a lot for me while we've been here, chasing Laut - "

"Flynn, stop using Lautrec as an excuse. I wholeheartedly wanted to be with you every step of the way. Besides, you admitted that you hated everything about the Catacombs and the Tomb, which was my idea. Please, I insist."

"...Fine." She had a point, but I still felt like I was bullying her into this decision. "Let's head for Quelaan...you said you had a way to speed that up, yeah?"

My sister nodded, taking a knee, holding out her talisman. "Grab my shoulder. It might not be necessary, but I don't know for sure."

I did so, a runic circle of radiant energy appearing at our feet as she softly spoke out into the air. Beneath us, I could see a fire - a bonfire, by the looks of it. I felt myself descending, falling through the portal, until we appeared out the other side. We were back at the bonfire near the door, resting against the ground.

"That was, well, interesting. And Rhea taught you this?"

Resa nodded, shaking her talisman playfully. "That and a couple other tricks, one of which you've already seen. The last one's not quite so flashy, but I have no doubt you'll be needing it some time in the future." She smirked, the evident lack of clarification not arriving anytime soon. "From here, though, we can use the Lordvessel to arrive right in front of Quelaan. Pretty handy miracle, if you ask me. I don't get to choose where we return, though. It seems like we need to take some time resting here to change the return destination."

It didn't really make sense, but it didn't have to. I knew how to operate the Lordvessel, and right now, that's what mattered. I leaned towards the bonfire, envisioning the cave walls, Quelaan...everything.

* * *

 **Resa**

The two of us arrived in Quelaag's domain, inside Quelaan's tunnel, right beside the woman herself. It had been quite a while since I'd been down here, and Flynn had likely made another deposit of humanity since then. To my surprise, Quelaan looked...well. Far from healthy, admittedly, but better than she was since I'd seen her. Her skin retained a slight touch of color, though her hair still retained the grayed tones, though it was mildly more lustrous. Best of all, though, her chitinous spider-half seemed to be vastly improved, the grayed out husk now turned a much healthier brown. It wasn't dissimilar from Quelaag, the hues filling Quelaan's frail frame similar to her sister's.

The woman seemed positively elated when Flynn showed up, beginning to speak...nothing. I had forgotten about this, about how the ring Flynn wore allowed communication with Quelaan. It was still strange, being able to listen to half of a conversation, but I tried my best to piece the other half together.

"I've brought you more humanity, Quelaan...plenty more." Flynn walked towards the bonfire, lifting the lid on the bottomless box that was ever-present in our travels. He began retrieving humanity by the fistful...far more than I ever expected to see him pull from the box. Where had he found this? He'd made his previous deposit right before we'd gone to the Catacombs, and I'd been with him practically every second…

He must have found a source in the Tomb, when he was hunting for white titanite. Had he been? Was it truly that hard for him to find, or did he find the pieces he needed swiftly, and then linger there, tempted by humanity's call. Whichever it was, I didn't mind...I think.

As he pulled them out, one by one, they practically leaped towards Quelaan, the tiny black sprites melding with her skin. Brief flashes of life danced across her skin, patches of her flesh momentarily restoring themselves to their true color, before fading away shortly thereafter. However, as the seemingly endless font of humanity continued forth, it seemed that she was staying healthy, until eventually the patches of life began to expand, rather than contract. Slowly, her skin restored itself completely, followed by her chitinous skin slowly filling with healthy browns and reds. Her face was flush with bliss, the flow of life entering her likely unimaginable.

Her mouth moved once again, her humanity-drunk mind recovering as the flow to dwindle. At the same instant, Flynn turned back from the chest, seeing the newly reinvigorated Quelaan before him. Her chitin was still restoring itself, but one-by-one, her legs started to move, the subtle action more lively than I'd ever seen her. The two of them continued a conversation, until Flynn stepped forward, Quelaan holding her hand out, a small ember dancing about on her hand. Something similar to this had happened before, and Flynn came out of it knowing a new pyromancy. If I had a guess, he was about to learn another one.

After a few parting words, he turned to me, my presence finally noticed. "She'll be safe...she'll recover. For now, though, she's still weak, and needs to regain her energy. Let's give her some space."

"Can you ask her if she can provide any insight on our destination?" I didn't want to leave here without something...for both of us.

Flynn nodded, turning back to the now-healthy Quelaan. "We're attempting to rediscover Izalith. Is there anything we should watch out for?" What followed was the typical silence I'd come to expect, her new health not granting her the ability to speak normally. "O-okay. We'll...we'll treat him with respect."

Flynn turned back to me, a somber expression now on his face. "Her brother turned into a creature of lava, the same way she and Quelaag have spider-like features. His presence has flooded the entrance to Izalith, and the only way to the old city is...through him."

I see...we'd have to cut through another one's acquaintance in order to achieve our goal. It felt wrong, and horrible...but we'd already gone this far, and claimed the soul of Gravelord Nito for our own. Ending now would make his death meaningless.

I followed Flynn out of the tunnel, returning to the juncture outside. We found the way out, a small opening in the side of the chamber that led out to a large slab of rock. Oddly enough, there was another bonfire stationed in the center of the rock, and about a dozen or so undead bordering it. They looked somewhat like the egg-laden creature that was always near Quelaan...Eingyi, I think his name was. Like him, the undead were hunched over from the unsightly growth on their back, tumorous eggs pinning them to move about with all four appendages.

I was willing to walk past the bonfire, but Flynn stopped at it, extending his hand as the embers roared to life within the dormant flame. "I need to learn the new spell Quelaan just taught me. It's more Chaos pyromancy, so...I'm curious, to say the least."

I didn't mind, though the sight of the egg-laden hollows made this one of the worst bonfires to soak in the scenery. Still, while he figured out what he'd just been given, I paced about on the platform, trying to notice what I could. Like Quelaan had told Flynn, the place was nearly completely covered in lava. It was almost a like due to its sheer size, causing the temperature in the cavern to be excruciating...I was sweating profusely, and I wasn't even wearing a helmet. If Flynn was suffocating in his heavy armor, he certainly didn't make note of it. Off in the distance, A dilapidated bridge spanned the lava, leading over to the far side. It seemed that the lava was pouring out from that direction, suggesting that Quelaan's brother wasn't too far away.

The fact that Quelaan, Quelaag, and now clearly her brother were all touched with some unsightly flaws was...unnerving. Why? Why was it that that family was, thus far, the only one affected. There had to be something that caused this, some curse placed upon their heritage that turned them into...demons. I didn't even want to think the word at what Flynn would think of it, but that was it. They were demons, Quelaan and Quelaag both. If we were adventuring towards the city where they came from, I could only assume that even more would show up.

My thoughts were disrupted by the sound of fire, and I turned around to see Flynn practically doubled over, hands on his knees, just as a pillar of fire burst forth from the ground. I took a few tentative steps back as another burst forth, and then another, all around him. Was this what he'd just learned, something that he could barely control? I knew the other Chaos pyromancy he'd learned was...volatile, but not to this extent. Several more pillars of flame erupted around him, each one leaving behind a small patch of lava where it sprung from the ground.

I kept walking backwards, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. This was...I wasn't sure. I wanted to believe this was good for him, that helping Quelaan was the right path for him to take. However, seeing the sight in front of me, I wasn't sure.

Eventually, the pyromancy ended, and he turned to move back towards me. "I-I'm sorry about that. I didn't know what was going to happen - part of the consequence of not having a scroll to read. I know what you're thinking, but don't. I'll use this when I'm forced to to get out of a bind, but no other time. Still, the power is...intoxicating."

Well, at least he knew he was terrifying me. "I believe you, Flynn. Just don't endanger yourself with it. Anyways, I think I've figured out where Quelaan's brother is, based on the lava flow. Did she give any indication what we were up against?"

He shook his head. "All I know is that he seeps lava, nothing more. I can only assume there aren't too many beings matching that description around here." Beings...because even he realized Quelaag and her kin weren't human. "Anyways, I'll follow you until we run into trouble."

I raised my eyebrow mockingly. "And what, you think I can't handle myself if we run into trouble?" I tossed my radiant blade in my hand playfully, keeping mind of the edge that still seemed to draw blood from its targets. "Do note that we're entering a place more or less filled with fire. How effective do you think a fireball is going to be on a creature literally dripping lava?"

"That...we're not going to worry about that. I've enough tricks up my gauntlet to deal with whatever comes my way. Pyromancies will be reserved for those that...aren't made of fire. Now come on, let's get going."

I nodded, passing the bonfire as we rounded the crest at the top of the slab. On the far side was a shallow descent, the path wrapping around jagged rocks as we meandered our way around to the bridge. Eventually, we reached it, crossing underneath an archway on the far side. Beyond it, the path continued along the side of the rocky knoll, leading onwards to pass between two vertical rock walls. As we edged closer, the temperature kept rising, almost painful by the time we slipped through the walls.

I don't know what I expected on the other side...but whatever it was paled in comparison to what was actually there. Quelaan's brother was a giant, larger than anything we'd seen thus far, no exception. His flesh had all turned a craggy, sickly brown, uncountably many pores seeping lava into the ground below. He only had one arm, though no hand on it to speak of. Instead, where his right arm would be, there instead was an array of fiery tentacle-like appendages, all ending in a sharp point. Worst of all, his head was sunk into his body, something on the order of ten solid red eyes coming to stare at us.

Oddly enough, however...he didn't attack. He simply stood there, looking at us for a second, before reverting his gaze to his left, at what appeared to be some sort of altar. On it, I could see black robes draped across its surface, though they appeared almost ornamental in appearance. Gold filigree adorned the hems of the robe, making the garb give off a somewhat noble vibe. Whatever it was, it was clear that it was important to the being before us, and I had no intention of disrupting that. We'd already come here with the express desire to kill him...no need to enrage him as well.

I looked at Flynn, my face somber. "It doesn't want to fight...and yet we have to anyways, don't we?"

He nodded. The creature was far beyond the surface we could walk on, its legs completely hidden in the lava it lived in. "I can only reach it with one thing, so I will. Be ready...I don't know what to expect."

I nodded, taking a stance near the back wall of the crescent-moon area surrounding the demon…for that was exactly what he was. Flynn stepped forward, dragging his axe behind him. It had been a while since he'd done this, I'd almost forgotten it was in his arsenal. He flung his axe forward, a sonic boom shooting out of it as it raced towards the demon. It struck him along the writhing mass of tentacles, all of them shaking at once as the demon immediately turned its attention towards us, howling with rage.

It was time to act...we'd gotten its attention. I immediately held up my talisman, firing off bolt after bolt of lightning at it, its attention still on Flynn for the time being. Besides the power of his axe, Flynn had no way to reach the beast...and like my shield, every use of that power deteriorated the blade, which was something he couldn't afford. At least I had a spare shield, the one I'd picked up in the Tomb, should I overuse the Crystal Ring Shield.

The beast lurched its entire body back, several of its tentacles straightening out, coming to slam down on Flynn. He held his shield up, preparing for the impending strike...it wasn't enough. The sheer size of the tentacles crashed into him, his stance immediately breaking as he was thrust towards the ground. Just as he was getting back up, two more came down, this time his shield not able to diffuse some of the damage. They hit him head-on, the center of his armor caving in from the sheer force.

I rushed over, trying to help him up from the ground, but he was simply too heavy for me to do anything meaningful. "How are you?"

"Just fine, Resa...can't you tell?"

He needed it...Great Heal. I held my talisman up, watching the demon in front of us to make sure I wouldn't get interrupted. The restorative powers of my flowing into him, a burst of life shaking Flynn slightly as it hit him. He pried himself out of the ground, shaking his head. "That must be the third miracle you bought. I've felt your healing enough to know that's something else. I owe you."

"Don't mention it. Just keep it occupied...and try not to get hit. I can't do that too many times."

"I've never been good at 'try not to get hit'. It's always been 'make the hits hurt less', and this guy is just too big."

I had a plan...it was as reckless as usual, but it would work. "I'll try and keep it occupied. When he slams the ground, see if you can't make him regret it."

Flynn nodded, the two of us swapping places, Flynn moving to the rear of the crescent while I moved towards the edge, staring down the behemoth before us. It was big, which meant it was slow...hopefully slow enough I could avoid its attacks.

As it reared its tentacles back again, I saw an arc of fire whip its way up, the tentacles now actually on fire. As they descended, I dashed to the left, throwing my body out of the way, sliding across the rocks. I turned back, seeing Flynn take the demon blade he'd picked up so long ago, slamming it down on the exposed tentacles. It cleaved straight through one of them, the tip remaining behind, and partially cut through the one next to it, leaving the tip flailing about haplessly.

The demon roared in a mixture of rage and pain, rapidly withdrawing the twin stumps until they were far out of reach. While it was recovering, I hurled another lightning spear at it, following up with a few discs from my shield which cleaved the remaining tip off the tentacle. As the beast brought its shoulder back, preparing to slam again, it swung wildly off course, the tentacle landing on the other side of the crescent.

I stopped, curious for a second, until the beast wrenched its shoulder to the side, as the appendage got quickly drug towards me. I couldn't react fast enough, trying to leap over it, but only managing to get struck directly in my torso, the massive tentacle hitting me at full force. I was slammed into the far wall by the impact, my vision immediately becoming spotty as my unarmored head contacted the stone wall. I fell to the ground, trying to get up, but not quite finding the strength.

I heard Flynn approaching, my brother kneeling down, rolling me over on my back. I still couldn't see clearly, his armor looking like little more than a black veil covering my vision. A moment later, and I felt a familiar golden liquid trickle down my throat, the Estus flask upturned as he violently began dumping its contents in my mouth. I lurched with life, coughing on the liquid, as Flynn immediately turned around, holding up his shield in front of me. "It's about to get hot...hold on."

No sooner did he finish speaking did a column of searing hot flame completely surround us, Flynn's shield creating a small pocket to try and protect us. Still, my legs were caught in the flame, Ornstein's armor become superheated as my feet nearly burnt to a crisp. With my free hand, I gripped the Estus flask, turning it back towards my mouth, completely emptying its contents. It was an odd feeling, my feet healing and burning repeatedly, a struggle for survival that I wasn't quite sure what the outcome would be.

Eventually, the flames stopped, but I wasn't sure if I could stand at the moment. "Don't leave...Flynn."

He turned back, giving me a knowing nod. "We're getting out of this, just like we always do. Here, take mine as well. You'll use it more than I ever will." He tossed me his Estus flask, the scarcely-used item landing on my chest. I snatched it greedily, tossing the bottle back as I struggled to survive. Slowly but surely, I felt...feeling return back to my legs, the scathing burns washing away as the restorative liquid did its work. Before long, I was back on my feet, putting both flasks at my hip before returning. Flynn was still on guard, his shield at the ready, doing his best to deflect the tentacles, rather than just absorb the blow. Right as I stood, another one came crashing down, his redirection making it land right next to us, hitting the ground with a thunderous smash.

Back on my feet, I leaped at the prone appendage, momentarily dropping my shield and grasping at both holy blades, stabbing them both in the burning flesh right in front of me. Twin gashes ripped through it, but I continued my attack, several 'X's getting carved on its exterior before it began retracting the tentacle. As it did so, however, Flynn thrust the demonblade into the flesh with one hand, gripping onto an exposed rock with the other. As the tentacle retracted, the sword was ripped from it, slicing the tentacle in two lengthwise down the tip.

"We can beat on this thing all day long, but it'll be meaningless if we don't go for its core."

I looked at Flynn, curious. "And how do you suppose we manage to get that far away, attack it, and get away with our lives as our footing falls out from beneath us?"

He shrugged. "Well...you climbed on Gravelord Nito...and Sif. You don't think…?"

I shook my head. "No. I'm not getting on that. It's suicide."

Another tentacle slammed down right above me, and I narrowly rolled out of the way to avoid being crushed. As I did, Flynn gripped his demon blade with two hands, plunging it firmly into the tentacle. "It might be suicide, but we can't die. Try and catch me if I don't pull of the landing.

I couldn't try and change his mind fast enough, the tentacle retreating with my brother in tow. I looked on as he was pulled towards it, eventually letting go right as he reached its back. He was a fool, a damned fool...but he was my brother, and I knew better than to expect better of him. His armor was thick, far thicker and sturdier than my own. He'd have some time before standing on the beast would take its toll, and I had to dish out as much damage as I could to shorten how long he would be up there. I stowed away my blades, ready to get to work.

I unleashed a flurry of spears, quickly burning through the remaining greater spears, and working heavily into my standard ones. I doubled this with my shield, firing off so many discs that the glasslike metal began to crack all over, reducing its durability far more than I ever had before. All the while, Flynn was atop the demon, slashing at it with his own demon blade, jets of molten lava springing forth from the wounds, quickly beginning to partially melt through his armor. I had to finish this quickly...before my brother was finished.

Eventually, however, I'd run out of everything. My shield was practically in pieces, the glass dim and cracked, nearly beyond repair. The mere thought of summoning another lightning spear sent cramps through my arm, lifting the talisman up to cast it simply out of the question. Now, I was reduced to little more than two blades and a shield...it would have to be enough. I'd gotten quite adept at dodging the demon's attacks, nimbly leaping away from tentacles that came crashing down time and time again. I'd even managed to vault over them when it decided to do a sweeping motion, preventing myself from being slammed into a wall like before. There wasn't much this thing could do to take me down. Still, if Flynn had killed himself going up there, my dexterity was meaningless.

Thankfully, it seemed like he was about to end things. He'd made his way to the head, armor dissolved to the point that it was barely held together, the lava now hitting his skin at times. Swiftly, I cast Replenishment, hoping to stave off at least some of the pain that he was feeling. Flynn plunged his blade where the demon's head should be, the actual one having fallen slightly down its torso, eliciting a thunderous gout of lava that sprayed into the air. The demon flailed about, my brother holding fast to his weapon atop it.

He leaped from his foothold on the demon, his blade still wedged into the flesh underneath. I thick gash formed as he drug himself down, ripping through the beast. It flailed about once he reached his head, splitting it in two. As he did so, I could see it dissipating...we'd won, but it might be meaningless if Flynn didn't make it out alive. "Jump!"

He looked back at me, nodding his understanding. Just as he pushed off the demon, the flesh dissipated, his sword coming free from its sheath inside the flesh. With a spare hand, he reached for his axe...it was going to be close. As he slammed into the wall, his axe clipped the ground above, giving him somewhat of a foothold. This had happened before, in the Catacombs...but now, he carried an even heavier shield and weapon. There was little I could do.

He put away the demon blade, holding out his free hand which I took hold of.I plunged my weapon into the ground far behind me, keeping a firm grasp of it. With all the strength I could muster, I pulled myself towards my blade, hoping to bring my brother up with me. This time, however, it was like trying to move a mountain...I wasn't budging.

I looked back at Flynn...the axe was slipping, slowly. There was nothing I could do to stop it, I simply wasn't strong enough. I had one last-ditch idea though...something so incredibly reckless it might not even work. "Brother, can you survive a head on attack?"

"I...uh, that depends?"

"The blast that I did in Darkroot Garden."

There was a long pause before he finally responded. "I think so."

"Here's the plan. I'm going to let go of this sword, grab my talisman, fall behind you, and cast it. If all goes well, the blast will push you forward, bringing me with you."

He started chuckling...a reasonable response to something so nonsensical. "If that's the best plan you've got, I trust you. Just don't wait, this axe doesn't have much longer."

"Here goes...something." As soon as I let go of my sword, I could feel myself being pulled backwards, being drug back towards Flynn. I grabbed the talisman on my waist by the time I was right next to him, and I brought my one free arm across my chest, ready to cast Wrath of the Gods. I had to time this correctly, or we were doomed to fail. Too early, and I'd push him into the wall, and not above it. Too late, and...we both fell to our death. I'd been able to hold onto the final cast of a miracle before, keeping it on the edge until releasing it. Now, I just had to do that again, while falling through the air towards a pit of lava. It couldn't be that much worse.

I felt the divine energy flow through me, the familiar orb of energy returning to wrap around me, growing stronger and stronger, until it was at full force. I held onto it though, still not quite at the correct angle, my body pivoting down Flynn's body, about ready to slam into the wall.

Now.

I released the energy, feeling the massive shockwave rip across the area, surging outwards from myself. I made another prayer...not to cast a miracle. For once, this was just a prayer for safety.

Flynn rocketed upwards, even his bulk managing to be propelled by the miracle, sending him a good four or five feet in the air. Likewise, I was sent hurtling forward, flying past my brother, the two of us starting to circle each other in the air. I'd done it. We were heading in the right direction, and we should have enough space to make it back to safety. A few seconds later, we hit the ground with a sickening thud...but we were alive, and that's all that mattered.

I stood up, brushing myself off, and helping Flynn to his feet. We were both in rough shape...maybe worse than we'd ever been. I held up my talisman, casting a healing miracle on each of us, hoping that that would stave off some of the discomfort we'd suffer in walking back to the bonfire. Flynn's armor was more gone than it was there, large holes of melted metal dotting his armor. Likewise, my lower half was melted from the heat we'd suffered earlier, and the upper half was dented countless places from the bludgeons I'd received.

"Let's go take a rest...I think we've earned this one."

I nodded my affirmation, moving over to retrieve my blade, the two of us hobbling away from the battlefield, out the crevice we passed through. On the other side, however, things were already starting to change. The lava level was lower, not by much, but it clearly had dropped a couple of feet, all that since the demon had just died. Taking a rest at the bonfire would give us time to wait it out, and we could explore once we were back to full health.

Eventually, we made it back to the bonfire, Flynn practically collapsing in a heap right next to the flame. I took a seat beside him, laying back to spread my arms and legs out, taking a good long rest. We'd earned it.

 **Short chapter, and this next one will take two weeks (busy life), but then I'm free. Also, Sunday uploads are great because it gives me an extra day in the week to work. Let's stick with that.**


	23. Chapter 23

**I found out shortly after I released the last chapter that a drastic change in my life (that I knew was coming) was coming two months earlier than I expected it to, from three months to one. It's been an absolute whirlwind getting ready, but I've finally settled in. I don't think it'll mean the death of this (I'm so close!), so hang in there.**

 **Flynn**

 **SL63 - 24 VIT - 19 ATT - 23 END - 36 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL63 - 23 VIT - 23 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 21 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 32 FTH**

 **Flynn**

My mind was...hazy. I remembered leaping onto Quelaan's brother, and I remember attacking it from above. However, near the end...I might have blacked out from the pain, and yet my body kept going. Now, waking up near the bonfire, I was hit by a slight wave of disorientation, only to realize that Resa was by my side, splayed out similarly to me. She must have struggled as well, based on the imperfections in her armor. I looked down at mine...I had some work to do if this was going to be useful again.

I didn't want to waste any time getting back on the move. Izalith was still out there, somewhere...we still had to find it, and discover once and for all whether the Abyss was there, or in New Londo. I leaned forward, pushing myself off the ground, and started removing my armor piece by piece, the black iron in dire need of repairs. I'd gotten pretty handy with the repair kit Andre had given us, though perhaps the kit itself had magical properties that allowed a novice to repair legendary armor like the Iron Golem's.

I went to work, slowly closing up the tears and flaws bestowed by the lava I'd been standing in, smoothing out the rough edges until I had almost completely repaired it. Unfortunately, some of the metal had completely melted off during the battle, requiring me to slim down the overall width and bulk of the armor to get the metal to repair it. Honestly, it helped...the armor was designed without the intent of a person inside of it. Reducing the width of the torso would actually be helpful, in all likelihood.

As I set to restoring the demon blade that had gathered some serious flaws from being plunged into lava, Resa finally woke up from her slumber, greeting me with a yawn and a stretch. "I didn't know if you were going to make it. Once I got you back on land, you passed out. You don't want to know how heavy you are to put on my shoulder...I'm gonna be so sore."

"I'm sorry, Resa. I did what I thought had to be done - "

"And it did have to be done. I'm not mad at you, don't worry."

I nodded gratefully. "So tell me...did I at least make the landing?"

She paused for a second, chuckling to herself. "More or less. I had to help you lug that shield up from over the edge, but you did far better than I expected...oh, that reminds me."

Resa stood up, turning around to face out towards the cavern. I hadn't thought to look since I woke up...the lava was almost completely gone. There were a few patches here and there that lingered, but for the most part, we could walk down there. Far to the right, near where the bridge was to fight Quelaan's brother, was a stone archway, leading down to a staircase that became obscured by the terrain.

"That has to be the way to Izalith. It wasn't lost, it was just...submerged!"

Resa nodded along, somewhat absentmindedly. "But we're going to find Quelaag and Quelaan's mother, right? We know somewhere that she's down here somewhere, possibly in the Abyss. Why would her own son block the way forward, intentionally or not?"

"I...I don't know, but I want to find out." I started walking back where we'd come from, the empty cavern floor now giving us plenty of new paths forward towards the ruins. Resa caught up, the two of us walking towards the ruins together.

"Flynn...maybe it's best not to know. Why would someone's child seal off the path to their mother unless she was a truly terrible person, or something terrible happened to her?"

I shook my head, slightly frustrated. "I don't know, Resa...I don't know. Whatever the case is, we should do what we can to help her. I know at the end of the day we've got to kill her, though...can't say I'm looking forward to that."

"Believe me, I wish there was another way as well, but we have to fill up the Lordvessel. We'll find out what the situation is when we get there. Until then, let's hope for the best and...oh no. He's back."

We'd just made it to the edge of the ruins, leaving the molten rocks behind for much nicer stone walkways. On the stairs leading down, however, was a familiar face - Kirk. We'd last seen him in the sewers, and it was a fight I still vividly remembered. Like me, he was a Chaos Servant. Unlike me, however, he tried to gather his humanity from other undead...an act I was highly judgemental of.

Kirk approached us, clad in the same armor as before, wicked, gnarled spikes protruding from an already-fearsome set of armor. He held out his sword, the barbed tip pointed straight at me. "Forfeit your humanity, or be prepared to fight for it."

"Kirk, I'm a Chaos Servant as well. This is unnces - "

"Forfeit your humanity, or be prepared to fight for it."

He hadn't changed a bit, still stuck to his rules. I'd already given away my humanity...all of it, to Quelaan. Even if I wanted to take the easy way out and give him one, I couldn't. Even if I did, Resa probably didn't have any humanity on her, and I was well aware that I couldn't offer one in her place.

"You should have learned your lesson last time, Kirk."

I didn't give him a chance to react as I lunged forward, hiding my entire weight behind my greatshield as it slammed into him, my superior weight carrying both of us forward and into the ground. Right before we landed, I heard the numerous spikes on Kirk's armor all bend down, rendering them almost completely useless. Before Resa could react and capitalize on my actions, however, he slid out from underneath me, my shield hitting the ground as he moved to my side. For being in what seemed to be heavy armor, he was remarkably light on his feet, able to get back to his feet far faster than I was.

I pushed myself off my shield, leaving it on the ground to even the weight difference a little bit, but primarily to get me back on my feet as fast as I could. I gripped the Golem axe with two hands, violently swinging it to my side, hoping to strike our assailant. Unlike Kirk, who wore the exact same armor as last time...we'd adapted. Resa and I had both grown stronger, and had found equipment that suited our strengths. That alone would get us out of this, if nothing else.

The arc of my axe bellowed with wind, an unintentional side effect that I didn't mind at this moment. The blast caught Kirk by surprise, sending him flying backwards and onto the ground. Resa followed with several swings from her shield, each one striking true as Kirk was pushed further backwards, right up to the edge of the staircase. Further back was a covered walkway, stone arches shielding the ground beneath from the lava that use to be above. However, it seemed like it was a safe haven for a different breed of foe...another one we'd met before. Two demons, both strikingly similar to the one we'd fought endlessly beneath the undead settlement, caught on to us, emerging from their hideout to rush towards us. This time, I actually froze up...we'd fought one for so long, and yet now two were charging towards us. Thankfully, the environment was more to our favor than before. We weren't cramped in a tiny room, the staircase on the left side taking up almost a third of the arena. I had room to avoid them and spread them out.

I turned my head, shouting towards Resa. "We've got company...can you handle one of them?"

She nodded, pulling out her talisman. I'll make sure to keep him busy. If you can keep Kirk off of me though, it'd be appreciated." Our plan wasn't falling on deaf ears, however...Kirk immediately darted towards Resa. Unlike last time, he seemed to be breaking his code. When we previously fought him, he went after Resa, and only Resa, practically ignoring me until we took him down. Now, I would have thought he'd focus on me...but he wasn't. Perhaps he valued getting any humanity over his quarry's, or perhaps he simply wanted to survive.

"No you don't, Kirk." I swung my axe in a wide arc in front of me, another blast of wind knocking him down. This time, I hurled my axe forward, letting it slip from my hands, sailing through the air towards him. Before he had time to recover, the axe ripped right through one of his arms, leaving it and his shield on the ground. Still, he staggered to his feet, gripping his sword with his remaining arm and rushing towards Resa.

"Not so fast." With my hands now empty, I brought my pyromancy flame out, the globe of fire swelling in size rapidly, darkening at the same time, I hurled a Chaos fireball towards Kirk, the mass of lava and fire landing on his back, sending him to the ground again. This time, he stayed down, as I reached for the demon blade that I had on my back. If I was going to fight the demons again, I was going to defeat them the way I defeated the first one...with their own blade. With Kirk temporarily out of the picture, I could focus my efforts on the demon charging at me, while Resa threw a few spears at the second to draw its attention. Two blades against one...I was willing to take those odds. I took the blade in two hands, it being just barely too heavy to hold in one. Once the demon neared me it leaped into the air, both swords raised over its head in a move I was all too familiar with.

Muscle memory came back to me, after who knows how long it'd been. I rolled to the right before I even knew what I was doing, though the clunky armor I was in made it harder than I remembered. Still, the demon's left sword just barely grazed my armor, pushing me cleanly out of the way. I pivoted around, swinging my blade with all my might, slamming it into the demon's back. It steadied itself on its swords, staying upright. Momentarily, I dropped the sword to my side, letting my flame come forth, a whip already starting to slide down to the ground. Before it had a chance to recover, I lashed the fiery appendage across its back, sending it writhing in pain each time. Like I'd said earlier...if it wasn't made of fire, I'd take it on with fire.

Kirk had finally managed to get back on his feet, about the same time that the demon had as well. Meanwhile, Resa was doing a fine job in fending off the other demon, an intricate weave of spears, rings, and swords all keeping it at bay as she brought it down.

I, however, had other, more pressing matters. With both adversaries on me at once, I went on the defensive, holding my sword across my chest as I tried to block strike after strike. Kirk attacked quickly, his barbed sword doing little to alter my stance. The demon...not so much. Each swing of its two swords shattered my stance, allowing Kirk to get in easy hits. My hands were becoming excessively bloodied, the barbs in Kirk's sword doing what they were designed to. After another thunderous strike from the demon, I fell to one knee, a particularly nasty strike ripping through my armor, and my left arm.

Just as Kirk raised his sword up, a spear raced right over his shoulder, nearly missing him. It seemed Resa was free...and thank goodness for that. Kirk spun about, giving me time to kick forward and back to my feet. I rushed towards the demon, both of us tumbling to the ground before it could react. At the same time, another spear struck Kirk directly in the shoulder, sending him staggering backwards.

From atop the demon, there was little that I could do, my sword ineffective in such a confined space. And yet, there was still something that I could do...something I'd said I wouldn't do unless I needed to. I dropped my sword, my pyromancy flame springing to life as I immediately put it to use. I plunged my fist downwards, past the demon, and to the ground. As I did so, flames were already erupting from the ground around me, smoldering flames scorching the demon's extremities as the power coursed through me. It was volatile, far more volatile than what I was use to...it was all I could do to keep from doubling over in pain. Eventually, I managed to stand up, the charred remains of the demon fading away as my pyromancy ate it alive.

I turned back, towards Kirk. He was on guard, his remaining arm holding his sword across his body. "You use Her gifts."

I nodded, picking the demon blade up off the ground and advancing towards him. "I do. Why do you not?"

He shook his head, almost defiant. "I have no want for them. Not all gifts need to be used."

"Fair enough. Now, will you back off, or do you insist on - "

"It matters not that you are a Servant of Quelaan. Your humanity is mine."

I shook my head, sighing. "I can't say that I didn't try." Resa had already caught up to me, the two of us now standing side-by-side facing Kirk. I turned to face her. "Sister, shall we?" She simply nodded...the only response I needed.

I rushed forward, running as fast as I could, swinging the demon blade in a wide arc in front of me once I got close. In comparison to the sword that Kirk held, mine was vastly heavier, and kept going even though he blocked it. It landed firmly in his side, a thick gash remaining as I pulled it out. At the same time, more lightning spears arced past my shoulder, battering Kirk one after the other. Eventually, he fell to one knee, keeping himself up with his sword.

I took a step back, looking down at him. "This is twice now you've tried and failed. You would be wise to avoid a third appearance."

"I - "

I didn't give him a chance to respond as my sword came down above him, cleaving his entire torso in half with one massive swing. He faded away at the same instant, finally leaving Resa and I alone.

"Flynn...I hope we don't have to deal with him again. There's something about him. Some drive that makes him fight beyond what he should be able to."

I nodded...I sensed it too. He survived far more than I was prepared for, especially after losing his arm. He had grown stronger as well...but not strong enough. "If he does try again, we can take him. Had the demons not interfered, we would have been in no trouble at all."

Resa nodded, deciding to say nothing else. We continued on down the stairs, towards more of the abandoned ruins below. However, they weren't as abandoned as we thought they were...numerous demons had already come out from hiding, crowding the broken and battered ruins. Four or five of the goat demons lurked just around the corner, coming to swarm us as soon as we were in their sights. This time, I knew better, holding up my shield, patiently waiting for a time to strike between the endless torrent of swords that rained down on me. When the time was right, I pushed back, sending two of them stumbling backward in my mad dash forward. With a single swing of my axe, I caught both of them, great slashes ripping across them as they stumbled backwards. They didn't seem much stronger than the one we'd faced so long ago...and yet Resa and I were immeasurably more powerful.

"Sister, there's a lot of 'em around here. Think you can do that holy wrath...what is it?"

"Wrath of the Gods, Flynn. And yes, I'll be there shortly."

I didn't have time to understand what she meant before she had leaped over me, elegant grace joined with sheer power as she already was halfway through casting the miracle, a seemingly-solid bubble of force encircling her. As soon as she landed on the floor she set it off, the shockwave rocketing outwards.

I was launched backwards quite a few feet, which was far less than what anything else could say. Demons flew every which way, one of them bashing into my shield, its neck abruptly snapping right before it faded away. Two more crashed into the wall, both of them surviving the blast. Even still, two more were launched to my right, off the edge of the ruins, falling impossibly far to the ground below. I didn't know this for certain...I just felt the souls come to me a few seconds after I lost sight of them.

With only two left, we were in prime position to close this out. I rushed towards one of them, which was already injured from my prior attack, my axe now embedding itself in its head before it had recovered from the impact. As it faded away instantly, I spun about, my axe crashing into the one next to it, ending it just as abruptly.

I looked around, finally having a reprieve from the ocean of fighting we had found ourselves in. This place seemed like a sort of shrine to dragons...odd, given what little I knew about them. Still, all along the outer walls were small statues, rounded bodies with short reptilian tails leading up towards a head that was very draconic in appearance. Some were broken down and barely recognizable, but most only had minor chips and scratches on them.

We advanced forward, descending a short staircase to the lower level, rounding a corner. Right as we did, I noticed a movement...one that I couldn't place. As I moved again, I could feel it on my...left. Right there was another one of the draconic statues...though this one was...breathing? I wasn't sure I believed it at first, but there was no mistake. This one was alive. I raised my axe up over my head, preparing to bring it down hard on the new enemy. Right as it did so, it sprung fully to life, releasing a gout of fire directly towards me, bathing my armor in the flames. That didn't stop me, though, my axe still coming to lodge itself in its head. The sheer force split it open, but not quite enough to kill it. Resa followed suit as I retrieved my blade, plunging her divine weapon in the crack that I'd made, the powerful blade sinking deeper than my axe could ever hope to. Holy energy coursed through the statue as it burst into shards a moment later.

She turned to me, shaking her head. "That...that's great. Now we get to second-guess every single one of these things. Why couldn't Quelaag's mother chose to live somewhere nice and...not here?"

"What, because the Catacombs had such a welcoming and inviting atmosphere to it? The only place I've felt genuinely safe is Firelink Shrine...and even then it doesn't feel nearly as safe as Thorolund ever did."

I'd almost forgotten about home...If I could even call it that anymore. In an odd sense, Firelink felt like home, or perhaps Quelaag's domain. Memories of what, of who I was before I was undead...they were starting to slip and fade into little more than a blur. I remembered my sister, of course, and I remembered serving time on guard...but only scattered remnants. From what I'd noticed in Lordran, the concept of day and night didn't seem to exist. If you wanted a dark sky, you had to go underground. The concept of time wasn't something I'd felt like I'd come to grasp either. I could count minutes and seconds just like I always could...always thought I could. We couldn't have been here for more than a week, could we? Even though that's what my mind was telling me, my heart wasn't so sure.

No matter...now wasn't the time for such existential thoughts. At the base of the stairs, the path split in two, with a left fork heading down a long staircase, and the right winding back and underneath where we'd just come from, seeming like more of a dead end than anything else. "What's your take, sister?"

"Let's try right. If we're wrong, it won't be a long detour."

Fair enough. I turned about, continuing beneath the columns flanking us on either side, no overtly aware of each and every dragon statue lining the walls. Any of them could be living...any of them. Eventually, we hit the back wall of the ruins, pillars and statues now only flanking us on our left. I kept forward, cautiously, eyes keen to the left as we made our way down the hall.

I was too focused to notice it...a rumbling deep beneath the walls behind me. Right as I passed the final pillar, the rumbling got loud enough for me to notice it, but not fast enough. Right as I turned around, something collided into me with the force of boulder...I didn't have the chance to see what. I was immediately flattened, the massive object now directly above me, keeping me pinned and immobilized on the ground.

"Flynn!"

I tried to yell out...I wasn't sure how much would be audible from my current position. "I'm...alive!" I wasn't too convinced on that, not at the moment. My vision was clouded in darkness, the Golem's visor obscured by whatever was on top of me. "Is it...alive?"

"Worm...snake...kill!"

I couldn't make out all the words, the mass on top of me starting to writhe about furiously. Whatever it was, it was definitely alive, and I needed to change that. As it was, though, I couldn't use my axe, both arms pinned to the ground. My left arm was pinned underneath my shield, preventing me from even using my pyromancy flame if I wanted to. "I can't hit it!"

At about that time, I felt searing hot pain wrack me, concentrated in my stomach. I couldn't see what it was, only that it was worse than almost anything I'd felt before. A moment later, it was gone, followed quickly by a steady stream of blood beginning to flow through the new wound. Was it...eating me?

The pain hit me several more times, travelling further and further up my torso each time. This couldn't be the creature...I could feel it moving atop me, but there's no way it could move forward without pushing me along the ground. That meant...Resa's sword. It all made sense now.

"Stop stabbing. You're killing me!" Blood was now practically gushing from my body, the multiple unprotected wounds losing even more blood from the violent shakings of the being above me.

"...can't...hitting…" I could barely make out what she was saying.

Just then, the worm finally let off me for just a moment, reaching up into the air. In the brief moment that I had, I pulled my shield closer to center, gripping it with both hands before the worm came back down atop me. I couldn't see Resa...was she on top of it? The answer came a moment later as the tip of a sword burst forth from its underside, only a few inches making it all the way through.

"Sister you're stabbing me! Stop!"

I didn't get a chance to hear her response before the beast slammed down on top of me again, keeping me pinned to the ground. This time, however, I had a small pocket of safety beneath my shield...it wasn't much, but it's what I had to work with. I let go with my left arm, holding it just outside the edge of my shield, my pyromancy flame dimly illuminating the area trapped beneath the worm. It grew a deeper and deeper red as I channeled it into a chaos fireball...I was almost certain this wouldn't be a good idea, but I was never great at those to start with.

Fire and lava burst from my hand, quickly coming to fill every morsel of space it could find, most of which was right next to my armor. I'd never been on the receiving end of a pyromancy before...after this, I didn't want to ever again. Searing hot fire consumed me as it continued to flow from my hand, likely burning every bit of exposed skin that I had...not that there was much. Worst of all, it slipped into the wounds Resa had given me, the already intense pain amplified tenfold from the fire literally inside me.

Thankfully, a moment later, the creature above me faded away into souls, giving the rest of the fire plenty of space to spread out that didn't involve killing. Directly above me was Resa, her sword poised and ready for another strike. As she fell to the ground, she diverted her blade, harmlessly stabbing the ground just above my helmet. I let out a wheeze of pain as she landed on my hips...now that I could see again, I could tell just how bad everything was. My vision was still dark...not from being clouded...but from pain.

"Healing...please."

She nodded, hurriedly dismounting me, stepping outside the pool of fire I was surrounded in. Thankfully now, my armor was absorbing the heat, which didn't change the temperature much given our surroundings.

My sense of hearing was fading as well...or perhaps it was just submerged in lava. Either way, I could barely make out Resa's words, but I could faintly see her holding her talisman out in front of her. Just like always, I could feel vigor returning to me a few moments later, first restoring my vision, but additionally spreading out, sending jolts of electric life through my entire body.

"There's a bonfire just over here. Are you healthy enough to make it?"

I turned my head towards the sound of her voice, seeing the familiar face smiling down on me. I nodded. "Yeah. Next time...try not to stab me with that thing. It hurts like you'd think it would." I got up to my feet, crawling the few extra steps it took to get to the bonfire before flopping down on my back again.

"Noted. Here, let me help take your armor off. You rest...I'll fix it up.

I nodded, pulling myself up and onto my back, doing what little I could while Resa undid most of my armor. Once my upper half was bare, I fell back to the ground, exhausted. Before long, my eyes slipped closed, resting by the subtle warmth of the bonfire.

* * *

 **Resa**

While Flynn was passed out, I set to do what I told him I'd do...fix what I'd broken. Guilt flooded through me, seeing him in pain like this...and knowing that a good portion of it was my fault. I'd been on him for...almost forever...about being reckless, and how he always needed to be more cautious. And yet, I'd just leaped on top of something and started stabbing through it, knowing full well that my own brother could have been in the path of my blade, and yet too caught in the moment to think about it. I was really starting to enjoy the thrill of combat...that bothered me. The Warriors of Sunlight...it didn't seem like the kind of thing they'd advocate. We were supposed to protect those around us...I'd done a great job at that.

I set to work, restoring the tears and dents in his armor, as if that somehow was supposed to atone for what I'd just done. While Flynn had become well versed in how to use the repair kit, I'd used it far less frequently, tending to stay towards the edge of combat rather than the center of it. As such, my armor needed fixing far less often, and the damage was far less severe than what Flynn had to deal with. Still, I knew the basics of restoring it to what it should like like...or so I hoped.

The work was fairly tedious...partially due to how many of the same wounds that had been inflicted on the armor...by me. The heat of the ruins evaporated the sweat nearly as fast as I could produce it, the only solace this hellish place seemed to provide.

After a while, I felt a hand on the back of my neck, rough and calloused. I didn't even flinch...it was Flynn. "Heh, sis. Thanks for this, by the way."

I nodded, momentarily setting down the tools in my hand. "Believe me, Flynn, it's the least that I owe you. I'm sorry...so sorry."

I turned about, seeing him stretching behind me. His toned midsection seemed void of injury...one of the few blessings the curse of the undead seemed to afford us. The bonfires always licked our wounds clean, no matter how long we were by them. "I'm much better now. Let's get me back in this bucket and keep going."

There were still a few remaining dents that I hadn't pushed back into place yet...I could only assume he noticed them. Still…"Are you sure? Your armor's not fixed yet."

"I'll be fine...I've got you to back me up."

His words actually shocked me a bit...he still trusted me with his life even after what'd happened. "Okay. Turn around, I'll get you locked in."

He did so, and the two of us began the meticulous process of strapping his torso and arms into the heavy armor, until eventually he was clad in the black iron that I'd come to see as my brother. It was brief moments like just before, seeing his true face again...they almost reminded me of home. I'd kept Ornstein's helmet away for a similar reason. I didn't want to fully imitate Anor Londo's knight...but I also Flynn to be able to see me. The real me.

Once we were finished, the two of us stood back up, carefully making our way back out from where we'd come. Thankfully, whatever worm had just attacked us didn't decide to do so again, the broken wall right next to the bonfire all the reminder we needed. Back near the earlier fork, we dispatched the odd dragon statue again before turning towards the massive staircase leading further downwards. It stretched above a massive pit, the bottom of which was a pool of lava. On the way down, several more of the statues tried to ambush us, but to no avail. Now that we'd seen one, we were on guard. Oddly enough, the statues seemed to breath...perhaps not, it was hard to tell. Still, even the subtle movements were spotted long before they had a chance to ambush us, giving me and Flynn plenty of time to counterattack.

Eventually, we made it down to the other end, even more monstrosities waiting for us. To our left was one of the first demon's we'd ever faced...the demon on the bridge, shaped somewhat with the features of a bull. To our right was another one of the worms we'd just dealt with. Further, behind it, I could see a goat demon, twin greatswords poised and ready. Finally, dead ahead, another one of the bull demons was at the top of the small hill that seemed to lead forward, further into the ruins.

All three pairs of eyes...plus however many the worm had, were intensely trained on us...but they didn't advance quite yet. "Flynn...my gut tells me we should just make a run for it. I'm not liking anything I see here."

He nodded. If there was a door to the ruins, I couldn't see it right now. "Yeah...you're much better at that than I am. Still, what we don't know what's back there. Is it worth the risk?"

"In my mind...yeah. That worm wasn't easy to take down, and now it's got company."

"Alright then. I have to insist, ladies first."

I shook my head, chuckling. "And how do you suppose you're going to make it? You just admitted you're slower."

"Well, that's why I need you to distract them for me...gives me a bit more room for error."

I nodded...I had no qualms with this plan. "Just don't blame me if we end up back at the bonfire."

I set off into a run, pushing my legs as fast as I could, propelling my body and my armor forward and up the hill. The front of the temple couldn't have been more than fifty yards away, and yet it felt like five hundred. Thankfully, the worm didn't seem to leave its current post, lunging out at me but wildly missing. As I moved further up the slope, the goat demon caught me on my right, my shield doing what little it could to block the twin greatswords. I fell to the ground, dazed, immediately reaching for my talisman. As the demon raised its swords up over my head, I quickly cast Wrath of the Gods, sending the demon staggering away. With the opening, I scrambled to my feet, throwing myself the rest of the way into the heart of the ruins.

Unfortunately...I was not alone. As soon as I crossed the threshold, twin stone doors slammed down; one right behind me, and one on the far end of the chamber. A few seconds later, the temperature in the room started to skyrocket as a massive, flaming demon crashed down from the ceiling. Oddly enough, it looked vaguely similar to the very first one we'd ever faced...the one in the asylum. Still, this was clearly stronger, flames rolling in waves off its back, and a formidable staff of flaming wood in one hand. Oddly enough, the wood didn't seem to be burning away...it was clearly imbued with magic.

I turned back, a moment's glance away from my adversary...I was alone. The door had trapped Flynn outside with, well, everything else. Whatever plan we had was all but ruined, and I was on my own for this one.

I turned my attention back to the demon. When we'd fought the one similar to it, we had almost no tools at our disposal save for a weapon and the meager healing I could use back then. Now, however, I was ready. I had to be...I couldn't let Flynn down again.

I stayed to the back of the large chamber we were in, careful not to trip on any of the vine-like branches that had wormed their way into the ruins. I hurled one spear at it, and then another, each one landing perfectly on target, garnering a slight stagger from the beast in front of me. Like the other demon, it had small, batlike wings on its back, which it immediately put into use. In an odd sense of power, it managed to lift its body up and off the ground, flying towards me as fast as it could before inevitably crashing down onto the ground. I dove out of the way, just barely managing to avoid being entirely crushed underneath it.

I sprung back to my feet, spinning about, throwing several shield rings at the demon's backside before it could turn around. I had this...I just had to make sure I didn't run out of ammunition before it ran out of life. For the most part, its attacks were easy to deal with. It swung its staff about, but it was always far slower than I needed it to be, out of the way before it was ever a problem. As such, I kept the barrage up, talisman and shield alike firing an endless stream of projectiles at it. It almost felt easy...for a moment.

The demon held its staff in the air, the fire growing more intense for a moment, only to slam it back down. Waves of fire radiated out from the staff and onto the floor...towards me. There was little I could do to avoid it as the first wave hit me, sending me flying back onto the ground amidst a heap of burning vines. The second wave sent me sliding back, armor scraping against the stone floor up until I slammed into one of the more impressive roots that wove its way from floor to ceiling. The wind fled from my lungs in an instant, dizziness and confusion overwhelming me. I staggered to my feet, trying to shake the blurriness from my vision, my moves quickly becoming frantic. I could see the fire roaring around me, a haze of red clouding my sight. I thought I could see the demon, squinting my eyes at a particularly red patch of color. It was growing larger, and I could feel the ground trembling beneath heavy footsteps. I did the only thing I could think of, and dove to my left...right into the path of its swing.

My body was sent flying up, quickly colliding with the ceiling, falling back to the ground amidst a small pile of rubble. At this point, I simply ran, following the wall I'd been knocked against, and moving until I ran into the corner of the room. My vision was getting better, details of the demon now beginning to form, most notably the fact that it was raising its staff up again.

I sprinted towards the nearest massive vine, hiding behind it as the waves of fire rolled forth. While I wasn't completely protected, I wasn't sent flying back, a vast improvement over what I'd just dealt with. While I was safe, I quickly cast Replenishment, the miracle Rhea of Thorolund had given us in the Tomb of the Giants.

Once it was over, I sprung back out into the opening, the onslaught of lightning returning. I could feel my arm tensing up, the effort required to cast each lightning spear quickly ramping up into impossibility. I did what few more I could, until I couldn't stand the thought of trying to conjure another one.

Unfortunately, the demon was not dead...it was hard to tell just how much life it had left in it. The fire wreathing its body cloaked any semblance of pain it might be feeling, but I could only hope that it was close to its last breath.

With no other options left, I dashed forward, fighting every urge that told me to stand back. I was in far more danger now than I was previously, every swing the demon did having the possibility to send me flying. Still, I tried to weave in a careful balance of offense and defense, striking when it was safe to do so, dodging and rolling when it was not. With each swing of my sword, a jet of burning blood poured from its body, slowly beginning to coat the floor around me. I was wary of stepping in it, given where it came from causing my footing to become quite precarious very soon.

The demon leaped into the air, almost immediately falling to the ground a moment later. In the brief period I had to react, I searched for a clean foothold, only to find myself amidst the pool of flaming blood. I faltered for just too long, the demon's impact with the wall sending me flying towards the front wall, right against the door...or so I expected. I felt my back collide with metal, not wood, and I looked up to see a familiar suit of black iron standing above me.

"You seem to be having a bit of trouble with this...thing. Mind if I lend a hand?"

I nodded, Flynn hiding me behind his shield as the demon sent fire rolling out from its staff again. "Please and thank you. Do you need healing?"

He nodded, helping me to my feet once the flames had passed. "I can't say I'd turn it down."

With the two of us together again, the demon scarcely stood a chance. I took the moment to restore Flynn to peak fighting shape, using the Great Heal Rhea had taught me as well before returning to the front lines...together.

Axe and sword struck in tandem as we barraged it with swings, the demon quickly becoming overwhelmed by the two of us. Flynn's stalwart defense blocked nearly every attack it tried to throw our way, while I continued my relentless assault on the demon. I wanted it dead...I wanted it dead so bad.

Eventually it fell, Flynn's axe sending it toppling to the ground. A piece of its staff broke off as it fell, becoming the only thing that remained once the rest of it disappeared. The fires that had previously surrounded it faded, leaving behind what appeared to be a charred piece of wood...but I wasn't about to simply walk away from it. As we walked towards the rear exit of the room I picked it up, slipping it on my back for the time being.

"So...you dealt with all four of those things out there?"

He nodded, bending down to lift up the rear door. "Can't say it was fun, but it just might have been better than what you dealt with. The bulls were slow, and they don't hit hard enough to break my guard. The goat...well, we've had practice."

"And the worm?"

"Last I looked at it it was burned beyond recognition."

The rear door led to a staircase that led both up and down, the two of us opting to descend further in the ruins, likely where we needed to go. Our decision proved fruitful, a dormant bonfire sitting at the edge of a platform that would have led to nowhere had a vine not cracked through the side of the building. It led further down, towards an even lower floor, and a door beyond.

However, that was for another time. The two of us sat down by the bonfire, no questions necessary...we'd earned a break.


	24. Chapter 24

**Flynn**

 **SL65 - 24 VIT - 21 ATT - 23 END - 36 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL65 - 23 VIT - 23 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 22 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 33 FTH**

 **Resa**

Our time at the bonfire was brief...I expected nothing else. After going through what we just had, I could feel that even Flynn wanted to be out of here as much as I wanted to. Nothing about this place felt safe, from the creatures, to the demons that seemed to run rampant, to the lava that covered the floor. Still, we'd come here looking for Quelaag's mother...to put her down, and claim her soul for our own. For that reason, and that reason alone, we persevered.

I got up from the bonfire, carefully navigating the winding root that meandered its way down to the lower floor. Without it, this would be an almost assured dead end, unless we fancied the forty foot fall to the ground. I for one did not. As we got lower and lower down, the glow that came through the singular doorway at the end of the hall got only more intense. We were descending towards the ground, it seemed, the lava likely going to be a detriment to us from now on. Once we got down all the way to the floor it seemed to get a little better, the far wall taking up more of my vision than the lava did. Still, the sweltering heat that radiated out from the doorway ahead was absolutely unbearable, and didn't seem like it would get better anytime soon.

As we crossed the threshold of the doorway, the lake of fire ahead of us practically consumed my sight. There didn't seem like a clear way forward, or at least not a reliable one. To our direct right, the lava cut inwards, just enough of it to keep us from making it to the landmass on the other side. To our left, a small strip of craggy rocks wound its way along the left wall, but it was far from traversable. However, I did see the looks of a cave further down the wall, a hopeful escape from this hellish place.

I turned to Flynn. He seemed just as perplexed as I was...we weren't able to walk anywhere, and we hadn't seen any paths that looked like good alternatives to this one. The only fork we'd passed up was in the staircase just prior to here, but that let towards the surface...it couldn't be right.

"So, sister...have any ideas that I'm not seeing? Because I'm lost here."

I shook my head. "Same. There's...nowhere to go...besides up."

I turned back towards the door we'd come from, abandoning any hope of getting past the lava behind me. Back up the root we ascended, continuing on past the split in the stairs we'd taken, ascending further towards the surface. A few dragon statues stood in our way, but they were nothing the two of us couldn't take care of.

Once we made it to the top, I found a large dias centered at the top of the floor, smooth rounded stone contrasting the battered and rocky edges of everything we'd just passed through. This didn't seem like it belonged to the ruins...though I couldn't place what it did belong to. For some reason, it felt like I'd seen it before, but I could scarcely remember where.

Flynn was the first to step onto it out of curiosity, and the entire disk lurched under his weight...or so I thought. In fact, it started to rise up, shaking dust and roots off of its edges as it began ascending. I leaped towards the edge of it before it was too far away, barely managing to get a grip on its edge. I continued struggling, trying to pull myself up, but not finding enough purchase on the smooth stone.

"Hey Flynn, little help here?"

I looked down, finding that we were now, somehow, far above the ground. There was nothing beneath this thing, nothing that pushed it upwards...it was floating. I looked up, towards our destination. I couldn't make out much of it quite yet, but I could see a similar circular hole at the top. A hole that I wasn't going to fit through in my current position.

Thankfully, Flynn reached me, letting out his hand, starting to pull me back towards the center of the disk. My foot slipped in just as we reached the opening on the other side, arriving at our destination.

And at our destination, was...Quelaag? No, that wasn't right. She didn't look like Quelaag. That meant it must have been…

"Quelaan! You...you're healthy!" Flynn dropped my hand, immediately moving towards his covenant leader in a state of pure awe. I wasn't far behind him...last we'd seen Quelaan, she'd been looking better, but she was still stuck in her cage. Now, however, she seemed far more healthy, though perhaps not back in peak condition.

It was easier to notice the differences between her and Quelaag, rather than the glaring similarities...especially since the sister had just entered the doorway. Overall, Quelaan had a fairer complexion, with silvered hair and pale, untanned skin. The spider half of her body was lighter as well, a mix of whites and greys dominating her beastial half. The most glaring difference, however, was the lack of fire. Whereas Quelaag's spider half had flames rolling off its back, Quelaan's was dormant. It gave her a much more subdued look when compared to her battle-hardened sister.

Quelaag moved down to stand next to her sister, dropping her legs to be as close to eye level as she could be. "I want to thank you, both of you, for helping Quelaan back to health. I have fought for ages trying to bring her humanity, trying to nurse her back to health...but it seems that you have done what I cannot. I am in your debt." The woman did a sort of bow, leaning her humanoid half forward in thanks.

" " I could see Quelaan moving her mouth...though it seemed that one peculiar feature about her remained. Flynn and her began in conversation, even Quelaag seeming to disregard most of it. She pulled me aside.

"I sense that you can't hear my sister...that is something I've never quite understood about her. Most undead that come through these doors never bother to speak to her, only interested in the bell. And yet, of the few that do find her, Flynn has been the only one to be able to hear her. Do you know why?"

"He holds a ring...he obtained it during his time in Thorolund. It has markings on it of a language I've never read, but it seems to be connected to Izalith in some way. That is all that I can guess."

Quelaag subtly turned to look towards my brother, nodding. "Yes, there was something about him that reminded me of home...it's why I gave the two of you a chance when you entered my domain...I suppose I should start calling it our domain, now." She paused, turning her attention back towards me. "I suppose you wouldn't return here unless you were having trouble...or perhaps you are already finished?"

I shook my head. "We've hit a dead end, of sorts. Lava blocks our path forward, which we can't cross."

The woman nodded. "Yes...Izalith would be hard to navigate for undead such as yourselves. I will talk with Quelaan. Perhaps we can take you there ourselves. Lava holds no power over us."

With that, Quelaag pulled her sister aside, the two of them conversing as I moved back towards Flynn. "So?"

"She's much better...so much better. I told her about our problem, she said that - "

"Come with us, undead." It was Quelaag, facing towards me. "It has been ages since we have returned home...but it is time. Resa, I can carry you. Flynn…"

I could see Quelaan's lips moving, finishing her sister's sentence. It didn't take much imagination to figure out just what it was. The two of us moved towards the sisters, mounting their spider halves with a bit of help from them. Due to the flames interspersed around her back, I found safety right behind Quelaag's human half, my arms tentatively gripping onto the woman's slender waist for stability.

The two women moved towards the dias we'd just come from, descending deeper into the ruins. On the way down, Quelaag craned her neck, looking me in the eyes. "You will not bother me if you must grab me to stay on. I would rather that than I would fetch your burning corpse from the lava...though I suppose I'd just have to go to the bonfire and collect you again. I fight with sword and with fire...you will not meaningfully hinder my movements."

The jarring reality of her words hit home, and I scooted forward slightly more, fully wrapping my arms around Quelaag. I kept my talisman clutched in my hand, just in case it was needed. Perhaps Quelaag could feel the soft fabric contrast the now-heated metal, reaching for it. "And if I may ask, what is this?"

"It's...it's like a pyromancer's flame, but it allows me to cast miracles of the gods. It acts as a sort of focus for my prayers, in a sense."

"Interesting. I have seen many undead hold them, and have felt the power they can produce. How fascinating."

The two sisters descended the stairs, all the way down to the lava floor. Somehow they managed to fit through the doorway, opening out into the room we'd just been in. They held no hesitation, stepping across the lava like we would a pool of water. Before long, they'd made it to the cave, their spiderlegs folding in slightly to allow them navigate the space. It wasn't a particularly long tunnel, and soon we were face to face with a bonfire...and a face I'd never expected to see here.

I slid off of Quelaag, completely ignoring the bonfire as I moved towards him. "Solaire!"

The jolly man seemed to be roused from his focus on the bonfire, looking towards me. "Oh, yes! Rena, wasn't it? It's been quite some time."

My enthusiasm immediately plummeted...he didn't even remember my name. Also, there seemed to be a sort of emptiness in his voice, though perhaps it was just my imagination. "It's Resa, but anyways...what are you doing down here?"

The man stood up, shaky legs helping him to his feet. "Well you see...I'm searching for the sun! My sun. I found my way to Anor Londo, but I could feel no sun around me. I've been searching ever since...have you found the sun?"

At this point, Flynn had dismounted Quelaan and had come to stand next to me. I was deeply concerned...Solaire sounded like a madman. We'd been to Anor Londo, and the sun there had been as real as any...and yet here Solaire was, raving about how it was fake, and yet he'd ended up here.

"Solaire...you are below ground. The sun, it is above you, back the way you came. There is no sun down here."

The man shook his head, almost obstinate. "No, there is light down here, all around us! See!" He pointed towards the pool of lava not far from the bonfire. "Light comes from the sun, so there must be a sun here! I will find it, make no mistake. And when I do, I will never let go. It shall be my sun."

I was deeply concerned now...for his own mental sanity. Nothing he was saying made any sense, and yet I could tell by the excitement in his voice that he believed every word that he spoke. I backed off...there wasn't much I could say that would change his mind. "Okay, Solaire. But when you find it, let me know where it is. I promise I won't try to take it from you, I just want to see what it looks like."

The man nodded furiously. "Yes, yes, I will let you know, Sita."

I shook my head, backing away from him. "It's Resa...please stay safe, old friend."

* * *

 **Flynn**

My sister backed away from Solaire, eventually bumping into Quelaag behind her. She didn't turn away, simply fumbling up the woman's side until she was safely on top of the spider half of her ride.

The conversation with Solaire had shocked me to the core, and I could only imagine what it had done to Resa. He had been her gateway to the Warriors of Sunlight...but now he seemed like little more than a man deep into hollowing. He'd convinced himself that Anor Londo's sun was...not real? That made little sense to me...it only showed just how hopeless he was.

The women acting as our steeds seemed to take a passing interest in him, but nothing more. We didn't bother to stop at the bonfire...I'm not sure any of us wanted to whilst Solaire was still there. They carried on, wading back out into the lava, pushing towards what seemed to be a massive root that curved up and around the cavernous space.

I leaned in towards Quelaan, wrapping my arms around her lithe form. "How long is it since you've been here?"

She twisted her body to face me, shrugging. "I can't remember. I was ill for so long I remember little more than the cave I was trapped in. Still, seeing these sights...I remember brief glimpses of my life here before mother…"

I could tell that she didn't mean to end the sentence there...something had to have happened. I didn't want to pry...but we were about to meet her mother in less-than-agreeable circumstances. "Given why we're here, I think it's fair I know why your mother never left Izalith."

Quelaan nodded, a somber expression immediately consuming her features. "I agree, I was simply preparing myself. Tell me, Flynn, do you know of the First Flame?" When I shook my head 'no', she continued. "It's the spark that created the undead, in a simplified way. However, like all flames, it burns out, dwindles. Our mother seeked to replicate this flame, to keep the age of the undead from ending."

"Shouldn't that be simple? Feeding it more tinder should keep it burning, right?"

She shook her head. "It's not that simple. The First Flame...it burns differently than other flames. It's...I don't even know the details of it all after all this time. Anyways, mother failed...horrifically. She's the one that created the demons...turned Quelaag and me into the forms that you now see as a result. These vines...I don't remember anything like them when I was last here. Anything resembling plant life simply doesn't exist here. I can only imagine it's mother's doing. Quelaag and I will take you to Izalith's doorstep, but that is where I plan to wait for you. I fully support you in what you do...she is likely more of a demon than anything you've seen...but I cannot bring myself to walk the streets of Izalith after what's happened to it."

I couldn't tell if she was sobbing...the tears would have been wiped away by the fire as quickly as they were formed...but I could only assume she was. I wrapped my arms around her tightly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pried."

"No, you needed to know what was ahead of you. She is my mother by birth...but I try not to think of her as that anymore. She didn't mean to change us on purpose...but that is still the reality."

Quelaag and Quelaan had already climbed the root that led out of the cave, revealing just what was on the other side...lava, as far as the eye could see. It almost seemed like some sort of underground lake, though clearly it wasn't water. Far in the distance I could see a wall rise up, roots practically consuming every inch of space that was available. The only other things to stand out amidst the lava were two shrine-like structures, placed throughout the lake.

Oh, and the demons. I wasn't even sure how to describe them...except that they were terrifying. As far as I could tell, I couldn't see a head anywhere, twin legs coming out of the lava only to contain a body and tail. Flesh was practically dripping off of their bodies in a constant stream...I didn't want to look at them for any longer than I had to. Thankfully, Quelaan shared my sentiment, skirting around the edges, waiting for a gap in their ranks to cross towards the first shrine. From there, it wasn't much further until they had landed at the second, walking through the one open door...and towards the bonfire.

Here, they let us down, taking a break behind cover, a fleeting moment of safety before our ascent to Izalith. Quelaag and Quelaan kept to the edges of the room, their much larger frames somewhat cramped in the small space.

Quelaag turned to Resa and I, looking out towards the open wall. In the distance was Izalith...it had to be. "I heard what Quelaan said, and I am of the same feeling. We will take you to Izalith, but I can't bear to go any further. Should you...need us to take you again, we can do so. I can't tell you what you'll find there, but I know you will find our mother, though I don't know what form she will assume. I haven't seen her since...Flynn, you can tell your sister on your own time."

Resa turned to me, curious, but I dismissed it away with a slight nod. "We will do what must be done."

"Then rest here, at the bonfire. When you are ready, we will take you."

The four of us sat around the bonfire, barely another word spoken. The gravity of the situation weighed down on me, far more than before. Nito...I didn't know if he had a family, or friends, or even anyone that cared about him. And yet, we'd slain him without a moment's hesitation. However, the Witch of Izalith, as Gwynevere had referred to her...she had a family. Two daughters, a son...perhaps more.

Once we were ready, we mounted the sisters for one last time, leaving the safe haven of the shrine as we adventured back out towards the lava. There seemed to be one root that had woven its way out of the city, breaking through the outer wall, travelling all the way to ground level. It appeared to be the only way up, though the sisters turned to drop us off right at the base. "This is as far as I'll go. Good luck Flynn and Resa. You have a method of returning to the bonfire, correct?"

I nodded, dismounting Quelaan, turning to respond to her sister. "We need to be at a bonfire, but yes. Do you know if there will be one within Izalith?"

Unfortunately, she shook her head. "It has been too long to remember details like that. If you cannot find a way back, I remember a rear entrance, one that has been blocked off for ages...this." She pointed to her left, noting the massive bridge that spanned the entirety of the lava. "This will take you back to the ruins. Let us know what your situation becomes."

"We will." With that, Resa and I began ascending the root, carefully navigating our way up towards the makeshift entrance of Izalith. Once inside, we were greeted by the ruins of a long-destroyed ruins of a forgotten city. Roots and vines had completely overtaken everything, breaking pillars, destroying buildings and houses...it was a wasteland.

Worst of all, it had become completely overrun with monsters. I could see several off the dragon statues that we'd encountered earlier, though far more in number than anything we'd seen in the ruins. I turned turned towards Resa, drawing my weapon after our reprieve from fighting. "Are you ready?"

She nodded. "I have been wanting to leave this place ever since we got here. The sooner we're done, the better."

For once, I agreed. I had been eager to come here, but now...I just wanted out. We navigated our way down the root as it travelled down to the streets of Izalith, beginning to dispatch statue after statue that came running our way. As opposed to the two or three that we'd seen in the ruins, easily a dozen were all rushing towards us, gouts of fire spewing every which way as the two of us weaved around them, dispatching them as quickly as we could. Thankfully, they were just as brittle as the ones we'd found earlier, one or two heavy strikes from my axe enough to send them crumbling into pieces. With my greatshield at my side, it barely even felt like a challenge.

However, as we rounded the corner of the street, a completely new beast came rushing towards us, barely a chance to react. It was large… and something that looked like it came from a fever dream. Several fanged tentacles came charging at me, mounted on a body with at least a dozen eyes, all staring down at me. I slashed my axe in front of me, severing one of the tentacles, but falling short to end the others.

Its tentacles were surprisingly strong...strong enough to lift me up, my feet dangling off the ground as I was lifted higher and higher. Soon, I got a very unpleasant view of the top of its conelike body...row after row of jagged teeth, gnashing about in an rhythmic, hypnotic pattern. "Uhhh, little help here Resa!"

I couldn't quite hear what her response was as my head was lowered inside of its body, the teeth starting to close around my armored shell, somehow easily beginning to chew through the black iron. Pinpricks of pain welled up all around my body, quickly becoming unbearable as more and more of its teeth sunk into my skin...until it stopped.

A thin sliver of light began showing through to the outside, Resa's signature divine blade easily slashing through the beast's thin flesh. From there, I could see that she circled the beast, the tear in its skin growing larger as she completed her circle. I watched as the sword's glow disappeared for a moment, only to begin slashing diagonally across the surface, frantic swings ripping through it as quickly as she could. A few seconds into this, I felt the grip around my legs instantly vanish as the tentacle that was still latched onto me was cut free, my body plummeting deeper into the creature's maw.

As soon as I was cut free, I did what I could to try and escape, but it was no use...there was no vertical way out of the creature's mouth that didn't end up shredding me to pieces. As it was, it was likely barely holding onto life, Resa plethora of lacerations not going unnoticed, light starting to break through to the inside. Still...this thing needed to pay.

"Throwing a fireball up! Stand clear!" Resa's swipes promptly stopped as the inside of the beast started to glow a deep red hue as I began forming a chaos fireball, launching it straight into the air overhead. As soon as it had broken free of my hand, I lifted up my shield, preparing myself for the planned reentry. I was still somewhat upside down, my back lying horizontally across the creature, my arms and legs curled up to avoid being consumed by the teeth ever present around me. As it was, I jammed my shield as tightly as I could, forming a moderately effective seal above me.

Fire sprayed everywhere, coating the inside of the beast immediately, some of it likely flowing out of the cuts Resa had put in it...I wasn't outside to see for myself. I could feel it start to pour in around my back, seep into the cuts in my armor...this wasn't the first time I'd brought it upon myself, however. Whether I was starting to enjoy it, or just rely on it as a successful way out, I couldn't say.

Successful it was, however, as the beast quickly evaporated beneath me, my body falling to the ground below. I tumbled down the slope a few seconds before my body naturally came to a stop. The remnants of my fireball continued past me, my back continuing to burn up from my own reckless actions.

Resa rushed over to me, my body quickly restoring itself to life from her miracles. With great effort, I pried myself from the ground, shakily getting to my feet once I was fully recovered. "What...was that?"

"Believe me...I think you'll be happier not having an answer to that." Resa's blade was coated in a thick black ichor, steadily dripping down onto the smouldering street beneath us.

"Yeah...I think you're right."

Brushing myself off, we ascended the ramp upwards, moving towards the top, and rounding another corner to the right. To the left, I could see a massive coliseum-like structure huddled away from everything else. However, the street went further on, turning to the right at the very end. I stopped where I was, looking at Resa. "I know you said you want to leave...I do too. However, I don't know if we're ever going to be able to get back here. I think we both know their mother is in...whatever that is." I pointed towards the coliseum. "Let's...let's wait. I want to learn about this place before abandoning it."

She nodded, albeit very hesitantly. "Okay...that's fair. However, if we get caught and end up back at the bonfire, that's it. Next time, we go straight to...that."

"Deal." We pressed forward, moving all the way to the other side of the street, turning to round the corner. There, lying in wait, was whatever had just attacked us before...I still couldn't describe it well. This time, though, I was prepared, my shield batting away its tentacles as it rushed towards me. I followed up with a strike from my axe, cleaving off one of its tentacles, and badly wounding another.

Resa jumped into the fray as well, hurling a lightning spear at it from afar that ripped right through its flesh, a small hole showing through from the other side. Thankfully she hadn't done it while I was still inside it, though she probably was still cautious after what had happened with the worm.

I was cautious as well, slowly moving towards it after my initial blow. As I did so, it seemed to start...regurgitating...something. Green, caustic fluids spouted from its mouth, flying into the air. I rushed back towards Resa, holding up my greatshield, shielding the both of us from whatever it had just launched our way. While covered, Resa fired a few more spears, each one ripping the thing apart as they sailed through it.

I moved on the offensive, closing the distance between me and the beast, slashing at it with my axe, cutting away at the tentacles still trying to reach for me. After a few hacks they finally were cut down, leaving the creature almost defenseless. Resa advanced as well, her blade and my axe working in tandem to take down the beast. It wasn't much longer until it had fallen, fading away.

On the other side of the beast appeared to be a...house? If it was, it was only a one room house, little more than three walls and a roof. Still, I stepped inside, the place all but empty except for one singular object...a piece of paper, tucked away in the far corner. Curious, I picked it up, unrolling the weathered page until it the ancient letters were completely visible. I...I couldn't believe my eyes...it was a pyromancy.

I moved over to Resa, showing her the pages. "This...I can't quite get the details of it yet, but it's titled 'Chaos Whip'." I held out my left hand, allowing the familiar braid of fire to cascade down my hand. I tried to follow the instructions written on the page, morphing it into whatever the letters said. They weren't too different than the technique I'd innately learned from Quelaan...but it was a bit much to do without time to practice. The whip flared a time or two, a deep crimson color flying across the braid only to fade out moments later. After a few tries I gave up, the braid fading away until only my flame remained. "I'll look at this once we're done...no need worrying about it right now."

My sister nodded, the two of us turning back to where we'd came, walking back around the corner...to find Kirk, staring directly at us. Next to him, however, was a figure cloaked in black robes, not dissimilar to Quelaana...in fact, it could very well have been her.

"Forfeit your humanity, or - "

"No!" I bashed my axe against my shield, the thunderous clang cutting him off. "Shut up and listen! Quelaan is alive. She's not even far from here. She's alive, and she's healthy, and she's walking around. Now just...go away! I've had it with you."

I meant every word...Kirk had blocked our path in the sewers and further up in the ruins...but I wasn't about to let that happen again. If he wanted to fight, I wouldn't even make it look sporting. The woman standing near him either didn't notice or didn't care, wandering back towards the large coliseum further away.

Kirk paused...for a long while, only to hold his sword out, pointing the barbed tip directly at me. "Forfeit your - "

"No! Say that one more time and you're dead. You're wasting your time, she doesn't need my humanity, your humanity, or anyone else's. She's fine! Take your damned sword and go somewhere else."

Thankfully, Kirk withdrew his blade, but still stood his ground. "She needs my humanity. You cannot convince me otherwise."

I don't know why I entertained the conversation...but I did. "And why is that?"

"Because she always has! I have pledged my loyalty and my life to her, and yet you mean to tell me that my job is finished? You do not have the right."

"Well I know who does, and she's right outside Izalith. Take the roots back out to the lava, and you'll see her."

Again, a long pause, followed by him shaking his head. "No."

"No?"

"I don't believe you. She cannot be saved. Not by you."

Now, I was agitated. I held myself higher, axe and shield subtly shifting to be prepared for combat if they were needed. "And why is that?"

"Because you do not have the right!" Now Kirk was the one to bash his armaments together, a screeching sound of steel against barbed steel filling the air. "I have served her until time has ceased to matter! I can't tell you how long I have hunted the undead, accruing humanity for Her, willing her back to life by my unyielding hand. And yet you, who has been here for a fleeting moment, mean to tell me that your meager contributions have brought Her back to health? No...I cannot believe it. I care not about your humanity anymore, betrayer. I want your life."

"Then you will be sorely disappointed, and return empty handed once again."

Kirk didn't even bother to respond, simply charging full speed towards me. This time, it felt different...he wasn't attacking us out of loyalty, but out of hatred. He wasn't trying maintaining his usual bravado, his silent anger that was always known, yet never spoken. No. Now, the beast that charged towards us was a being of pure anger and hatred, that wanted nothing more than to grind the two of us into a pulp...except that he'd only get one of us. Odds were, that would be me.

Kirk bullrushed me, completely ignoring the greatshield I held up in front of me, diving headfirst towards me. Both of us toppled to the ground, Kirk's elbow slamming down on my shoulder before I had any chance to react. Sword still in hand, he ran his arm down, the barbed blade ripping through my shoulder while I was still stunned.

He wasn't done though...he was out for blood and wanted to flood the streets with it. He raised his sword up, preparing to thrust it into the fresh wound he'd just cut. However, I finally had a chance to respond, throwing myself to one side, his sword striking the ground just below my armpit. I jammed my knee into his gut, ignoring the pain of the barbs digging into my skin, finally doing enough to get him off of me, long enough for me to get to my knees. Kirk was still down, giving me a chance to bring my leg back, kicking in his facemask while he was still on the ground. If he was going to fight dirty, I had no problem answering that.

I looked towards Resa while I had a moment, simply shaking my head. "This is between me and him...don't interfere."

"Flynn, I - "

"Don't. Interfere." This one was actually from Kirk, a deep voice seething with pure anger rolling out of his dented helmet. "If your brother can save Her, he damned well be able to save himself." I gave Kirk the chance to stand back up, taking a few steps back as the dual reset. This was different than Lautrec...I didn't have anything to gain from winning or losing, really. This time, I simply wanted to put Kirk in his place. If he thought that he was the only Chaos Servant that cared...that wouldn't stand.

Resa took a few steps back, a justifiably terrified look on her face as she backed into the corner of her own volition. I refocused my attention towards Kirk, the two of us ready for more. Kirk had rejected Quelaan's pyromancies, deciding that he didn't feel a need for them. Clearly, I did not have that problem...but I planned to hold back and use them as a last resort. If he thought himself so high and mighty without them, then I would fight him on his own terms - blade to blade, and shield to shield.

Kirk rushed at me again, a nearly-inhuman scream bellowing from his lungs as he charged at me. This time I was ready, however, thrusting my shield forward at the last second, colliding directly with his battered helmet. As he staggered backwards I whipped my shield to the side, sending his center of balance directly off course. I tried to follow up with a slash from my greataxe, but he still had a remarkable amount of speed from inside his armor, dodging away at just the last second, leaving me completely vulnerable to a counterattack.

He didn't waste any time, circling around behind me to thrust his sword through my already wounded shoulder. I cried out in pain, barely able to hold up my axe anymore, completely abandoning the thought of using the demon blade against him as a surprise tactic. While the sword was still in my shoulder, I threw myself backwards, not stopping until I felt my back ram into Kirk's shield. I didn't care how much it hurt...I didn't have a suit of black iron armor directly on top of me. From this position, I elbowed Kirk several more times in the face, only stopping once he finally was able to worm his way out from beneath my weight, the two of us scrambling to our feet.

I managed to get up first, rushing towards him for a change of pace, swatting away his shield with my own, giving a perfect opening for my axe. It didn't have to be precise...which was good, because my mangled shoulder couldn't manage it right now. Still, the axe lodged itself deep in his ribcage, thick crimson coating the edge of my axe as I ripped it free from his side. I swung again, Kirk narrowly dodging out of the way, leaving a gash on my back a second later as he ripped into my armor again. The brutal blows traded back and forth, neither of us caring about defense, each simply wanting to tear the other into pieces. By the end of it, my back was covered with rips and tears, blood endlessly pouring from the wounds...but I wasn't the only one. Here, there wouldn't be a winner...only a survivor.

Kirk rushed at me again, my last hit on him giving me enough time to make some distance, distance that didn't stay for longer. He kept trying this, trying to rush me down, but he kept failing to realize that weight and strength were both on my side. This time, rather than simple knocking him back, I held my ground, feet wedged to reduce knockback, shield poised to stop him dead in his tracks. As he dove towards me, his head rammed straight into my shield, not budging an inch as he fell face first to the ground...what a fool.

I circled around him while he was down and dazed, momentarily stowing my axe away as I reached down, grabbing him by the foot with both hands. It wasn't easy, but I lifted him up, the barbs that I drug across my back barely even recognized amidst what had already happened back there. I leaned forward, getting the momentum I needed to fling him over my shoulder, his entire body slamming into the ground with a sickening crack.

I wasn't done yet...no, nowhere close to done. He needed to learn his lesson, that challenging me and my devotion was not something to be done again. I lifted his limp body up again, finding it a little easier this time from a lack of resistance. I slammed him into the ground once, twice, three times more, each time adding a little more weight behind the final throw. After the last one, I reached for my demon blade, walking up to step on his sword arm, pinning his wrist beneath my sabaton. I didn't want to go for the kill just yet...I wanted him to suffer.

I plunged the blade into his side, just enough to shear off his armor, leaving a patch of exposed flesh behind. I inched the sword a little closer to his heart, plunging it down again, this one cutting through his skin, muscle and sinew now exposed to the air. I raised it up again, preparing to strike down even closer, but it seemed Kirk still had more of a fight left in him than I expected. He rolled to the side, his shield catching my blade and pushing it out of the line of fire. In the distraction, Kirk managed to slip his wrist from underneath my foot, temporarily forgoing the sword as he leaped to his feet.

He thrust his shield upward, jamming it into the deep cut he'd already made previously. It wasn't even close to being as effective as his sword was, but it didn't matter, the cut widening even further, making my sword arm weaker and weaker. He kept it pinned there, unable to reach for his sword without giving me freedom to strike back, but he was fully cognizant of the fact that I couldn't swing my demon blade in this situation.

"You had the chance to kill me...and yet you wasted it." He jammed the shield in even further, now pressing against the bone. "I will not squander such an opportunity when I get it."

I pushed back with my shield arm, sending him back a few feet as I hastily dropped the demon blade, reaching for my axe. I could barely get it out of its sling, the heavy weight amplified dramatically by ruined shoulder. However, Kirk's sword was still pinned beneath my feet, giving me a leg up. Hastily, I kicked it behind me, hearing it clatter against a root behind me.

Try as I might to lift my axe up, I simply couldn't, the pain that came from even holding it too great to bear. Begrudgingly, I dropped my shield to the ground, holding the weapon with both hands. My usual tactics wouldn't work any more...I couldn't repel a bullrush.

Unsurprisingly, that was the first thing he tried, dashing towards me, sidestepping at the last minute to bash his shield against my side, I was knocked sideways but still on my feet, spinning around to retaliate. My axe just barely clipped his back as he made a mad dash towards his weapon while I was prone.

If I got that back in his hands, I was over...there was no way around it. In a last-ditch effort, I hurled my axe as hard as I could, hoping that it would buy me enough time to think of a better plan.

Thankfully, it did enough, hitting him squarely in the lower back, unfortunately not by the blade. It knocked him backwards, however, his shield also flying out of his hands to land not far from his sword. I ran over to him, slamming myself down on top of him before he had a chance to recover.

We were both weaponless, shieldless...and barely clinging onto life. My axe had landed out of reach, as had his weapons, and I'd left the demon blade and shield behind. Now, it was man versus man, fist versus fist...two Chaos Servants battling for supremacy. I kept my weight firmly on top of him, pinning him to the ground, my left fist coming to land squarely on his face. I kept going...I didn't care how little it might do, I would keep him down, teach him not to cross us again. Of course, he retaliated, barbed fists landing against my chest, my neck, my face, my shoulders...I didn't care.

"You won't win, Kirk. You've never won."

"You can't beat me with your fists. The moment you get up for your weapon, you'll find a sword in your axe. You have nothing to kill me with."

After slugging him one more time, I looked at my hand, unclenching it. I'd said that I wouldn't...but I would. "Wrong. I do have something to kill you with...something She gave me herself." My flame swelled up, the bright red orb throbbing in my palm. I glared down at Kirk, emotionless behind his mask. "I'll take you down with me if I have to."

"If I am to die by Quelaan's own gift...that is a death I can accept."

"It doesn't matter if you accept it or not. It's the one you're getting." The flame continued to swell larger and larger, until I had no choice but to release it.

Fire splashed across both of us, the fireball surrounding me and Kirk in the blazing inferno. I knew I wouldn't survive this...I didn't plan to. I was already barely clinging onto life, the fire against my bare, bloodied back the most excruciating pain I'd experienced in our time in Lordran. And yet, it was also the most pleasant pain. The pain of victory.

 **Expect updates to be less of a weekly/biweekly thing. I'll write as often as I can afford, and I'll publish when I come to what I feel like is a good stopping point. The home stretch is near - I plan to have this wrapped up by early October so I can do a bit of planning for this year's NaNoWriMo project. It's been my favorite story so far, but I can't keep it going forever.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Flynn**

 **SL67 - 24 VIT - 23 ATT - 23 END - 36 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL67 - 23 VIT - 23 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 23 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 34 FTH**

 **Flynn**

I knew I'd find myself back at the bonfire...I was prepared to be face-to-face with Quelaag and Quelaan again. However, Kirk...that was not a face that I anticipated. He was sitting across from me and Resa, his barbed armor still ravaged from where we'd just fought. The pressing heat against my back let me know that the same was true for me, not that I expected anything different.

I stared him down, not bothering to start a commotion. With Quelaan here, watching both of her faithful Servants, I saw no need to carry out the fight that I had clearly won. Kirk clearly felt the same, taking the initiative to stand up, but no more.

I could tell both of the sisters were eyeing us with great interest...it wasn't hard to tell that something had happened. After a minute or two of utter silence between all five members, Quelaan finally broke it, at least for me.

"Flynn...what happened? Why is Kirk here?"

I stood up, turning my undivided attention towards Quelaan, angling myself away from Kirk. "He came after me and Resa, wanting our humanity. I told him that you were safe...that the offerings were no longer needed. Still, he attacked me...I ended up killing us both."

She turned her attention towards Kirk, not bothering to say anything. It dawned on me...Kirk might have never heard her voice before...might not be able to hear her voice. I bothered to sneak a glance, though I couldn't begin to gauge his reaction from behind his barbed helmet.

"What he says is true...I doubted that his gifts would be enough to bring you to health, and I attacked not out of loyalty, but out of rage. I...I have failed you. I do not deserve to be in your company."

With about as unceremonious of a goodbye as I'd ever seen he discarded his helmet, a mane of grayed hair veiling the weathered face of a man several times my age...at least from the looks of things. He left the helmet sitting by the bonfire, turning around to walk towards the lava. To my surprise, he managed to walk just on top of it, the subtle ripples in its surface lightly splashing against his feet, but he otherwise seemed unaffected by the situation. He made a turn at the exit of the shrine, presumably walking back towards the ruins.

I stood, not sure what to think, several more seconds passing by in pure silence...only for a bloodcurdling scream to echo through the shrine. I recognized the tone...it was Kirk's voice. He fell silent shortly thereafter...I wanted to go look, but couldn't bring myself to.

Quelaan grabbed my attention, kneeling down. "I did not realize my health would affect him so severely. He has served me...I don't know long. I can't begin to hazard a guess. Now that I am healthy, I don't know what he will do know...I don't think he does either."

I tried to care...I really did. However, after what he'd just done, I couldn't convince myself to take the ten steps to see what had happened. He wasn't back at the bonfire, which meant he hadn't died...he was surviving the lava somehow. Something in the back of my mind told me we wouldn't be seeing him again.

We all shared a moment of silence, Quelaag now breaking the silence. "I can only guess you need a way back to Izalith? Or can you, too, traverse the lava like he can?"

Resa shook her head, facing the spider woman. "No...not that I know of. In all likelihood, we will not need to return again. We know where your mother is hiding, at least presumably. This time, we will be much more...direct...in our navigation." She shot me a scathing glare...I was fully expecting a talking-to once we were alone. However, a deal was a deal. I had died...that meant we'd head straight for the coliseum.

"Very well. I will give you time to repair your equipment, and then we can take you there."

"That won't be necessary." Resa was stern, direct, and to the point - very much unlike what I was use to. I didn't bother trying to fight her...it would only cause more problems later."

"...Very well then. Let us make haste." I climbed onto Quelaan once more, Resa mounting Quelaag as well. They strode back out onto the lava, making the short trip to Izalith one more time. Like last time, we were let off onto the lone root leading up to the city, the sisters leaving after that to return to the shrine.

I ascended the root first, Resa trailing behind me...she wasn't saying anything quite yet, making me worried by the second. However, once we made it to the landing at the top of the root, everything came out at once.

"What were you thinking?" She slashed her sword at my shield, catching me by surprise as a sharp ring echoed through the large cavern. "We have made it this far because we work together, because we've always worked together! You told me to back off, and I trusted you Flynn, I really did. I thought you had it under control. I didn't realize you'd…"

"What?"

"You killed yourself to kill him!" She was fuming, her cheeks flushed red with anger. "I'm supposed to be at your side, helping you every step of the way!" She clenched her talisman in her hand, a lightning spear forming in her tight grasp. "That's...that's why I'm worthy to hold this right now!" She threw it against the ground, dissipating the charge.

"He wasn't attacking me as an undead...he was attacking me as a Chaos Servant. I wanted to keep you out of harm...I'm sorry."

"No! Sorry doesn't matter anymore! You don't get to tell me what to do anymore...I'm your equal, not your subordinate. I don't care under what pretense you two were fighting each other, I'm your sister, and you don't have the right to tell me to leave your side! Not anymore, at least." She brushed past me, shoulders bumping together more-than-accidentally as she pushed past me. "Try to keep up."

I turned around, heading back towards where we'd left off, but Resa had already broken into a sprint, charging down the nearest statue as a lightning spear plowed a hole through its center. She was mad...she had every right to be. Hopefully, she just needed to blow off some steam, and she'd be back to her usual self. I had a hard time convincing myself that that would be the case, however.

I trudged after her, not having a chance to keep up with her breakneck pace. I broke out into a jog, the most I could reasonably afford, watching as she leaped from statue to statue, spears and sword interchangeably carving a path of destruction behind her. I hadn't made it far before she'd already rounded the corner, the odd beast that lied in wait letting out a howl of pain only a moment later.

She'd never been like this before...she'd been angry before, but never violently mad. The worst she'd been since Lordran was when we defeated the goat demon, and I'd slipped into a violent rage. I guess it wasn't that different from what I'd just done...except that I'd told her to stay away. I understood where she came from, I really did...I wasn't sure how to deal with it though.

I rounded the corner, climbing up the ramp only to find Resa locked in combat with the same cloaked figure I'd seen last time. She appeared to be a pyromancer, fireballs and whips flying from her hands...but not ordinary ones. No, she seemed to be well versed in Chaos pyromancies, engorged, red fireballs flying from her hand, and a crimson whip as thick as my wrist coming to lash against my sister. Still, Resa refused to back down, shrugging off the fiery blow to trade one with her sword.

I rushed in, funneling my strength into my legs to try and break them up. If this person knew pyromancies...perhaps she was connected to Quelaan. My bulky form barreled through the two of them, aggressively separating them as I came to a screeching halt. I spun about, planting my axe firmly between them.

"Sister. That's enough."

I turned my attention towards the hooded figure, my shield dropping to the ground as I unleashed my pyromancy flame. "I saw what you are using...I know them well. Do you know...Quelaana?"

The woman paused, her ragged garb nodding. "She is a sister...my younger sister. You know of her?"

I turned back to look at Resa momentarily, seeing an expression of surprise on her face. I looked back at the woman, sheathing my flame. "Yes...she is in Blighttown, across the lava. Your other sisters, Quelaan and Quelaag, are also right outside Izalith."

"Do not speak to me of those...those abominations. I don't know what they told you...they helped our mother every step of the way, trying to duplicate the Flame. Only afterwards, when she failed and turned them into the demonkin you know, did they blame mother for her experiments. They are hypocrites...do you associate with them?"

I nodded, picking my shield up from the ground. "They were who brought us across the lava."

The woman brandished her flame, inching further away from us. "And let me guess...you are here for mother? If that is the case, you shall get no further."

Resa finally joined the conversation, sidling up next to me. "After what you just said, about your sisters...you still protect your mother?"

The ball of fire in her hand swelled slightly larger, her fist clenching around it as it turned a deep red. "You misunderstand me, undead. I supported my mother through her experiment, and past it...I happened to be absent during the final moments, and was thus spared turning into demons like my sisters. However, my mother did what was necessary, made the hard choices nobody else was willing to...tried to prolong the age of the undead. I do not abandon her merely because she failed to accomplish her cause. I say this again...to approach my mother, you must first pass through me."

"Please, there must be some other way."

"No." The woman clenched her fist tighter, deep red lava starting to drip through her fingertips. "I give you one last warning. Turn back now, or I will do so for you." Even though the woman was quite injured from the earlier encounter with Resa, her words still held gravity due to the fire brimming in her palm.

I looked at Resa, her face still contorted by her anger towards me. She was fighting this woman before I got here, and she seemed eager to continue to do so. My suspicions were immediately confirmed when she didn't return my gaze, instead charging head first towards the woman. It seemed she had anticipated this, bringing forth her palm and extending her fingers, the concentrated ball of fire that she had been brewing unleashed in one massive spray. I had anticipated this...perhaps Resa wasn't paying as much attention, but I had been. As soon as Resa moved, I charged after her, thrusting my shield to the side as soon as the hooded woman lifted up her arm. My shield bashed into Resa's side, knocking her off course...but for her own good.

The lava sprayed the front of my greatshield, splashing around the edges in all sides as a wall of red filled my vision. I backed up, avoiding what started to come back down from above, dashing to where I'd just knocked down my sister to protect her as well.

Resa was mad...normally, she'd at least thank me for something like this, but nothing escaped her lips as she ducked out from beneath my shield, charging headlong for the woman again. Sword ripped cloth as contact was first made, a bloody gash forming in the woman's already-tattered rags that surrounded her slight form.

As much as I didn't want to do this, to attack a sister of Quelaan, Quelaag, and Quelaana...it seemed I had no choice. When it came down to doing what I thought was right and protecting my sister from danger...I knew what mattered more.

I got back to my feet, charging towards the woman with all intentions of keeping her as suppressed as possible. I didn't have to go in with my axe or blade in order to be helpful...I just had to enable Resa. The woman started preparing another pyromancy, likely the whip based on the long strand of fire that was starting to snake down from her hand, just as thick and powerful as the last one I'd seen her use. She raised it up, targeting my sister yet again, but only managing to slash the front of my shield. Still, the latter half of the whip wrapped around, encircling my hand as if it had a mind of its own. I could feel my armor caving in from the intense heat, the hand underneath immediately superheated to the point that I couldn't keep a grip on my shield, letting the armament fall to the floor.

However, I knew how these whips worked...I had experience with them myself. Even though they didn't seem physical, they very much were, like a real whip had been doused in oil and lit aflame. Curious, I pulled on my end of the whip, yanking her towards me, my foot colliding with her midsection. She crumpled to the floor, thankfully losing concentration on her whip as my arm was finally freed from the blazing pain that had been wracking it. Still, the underlying armor was heavily distorted, some of it even uncomfortably melted to my skin...she was a much more powerful pyromancer than I was based on that alone.

Resa took no hesitation capitalizing on my offense, darting around me and plunging her blade into the woman. She let go of the hilt, reaching for a talisman, and plunging a greater lightning spear into the woman's back. That was all it took as she evaporated into souls on the floor.

"Let's go." Resa didn't seven seem to care about what had just happened, already marching down the path towards the coliseum.

I dashed forward, not far behind her, reaching out my free hand to grab hold of the collar-like part of her armor. "No. You need to calm down, sister."

She spun about, planting her feet firmly to the ground. "And why's that, Flynn? Why should I? You didn't!" She was furious, her knuckles white from how tightly she was gripping her sword.

I sighed...this had to happen, no matter how much I didn't want to deal with it. "If I let go, are you going to start walking away?"

There was a long pause, until she shook her head. "No."

"...Promise?"

Another long pause, her voice low. "I promise, Flynn." Even though she was desperately trying to hide it, I could see the corners of her mouth upturn ever so slightly."

I let go of her collar, taking a step back. "What I did was wrong, stupid, foolish, reckless, idiotic...all of it. You have every right to be angry at me. You do. You're right. We are a team, and I was foolish to break that because of a personal vendetta against Kirk. We went through Lautrec as a team...I drug you through all of that because of a vendetta, and you happily went along with it. This time, with Kirk...I don't know what came over me."

"Get to the point, Flynn."

"The point is Resa, I can't live without you. Yes, I care about Quelaan and Anastacia...but you are more important than either of them to me. The only reason I haven't become a hollowed mess by this point is because I've always been able to protect you. Yes, you're strong now, so much stronger than you were when you got here. You don't need me to keep you safe like you did when we got here. I still remember what you told me, all the way back at the Asylum. Do you remember?"

"You were my brave knight...my stalwart defense." Her aggressive stance had dropped significantly, the tip of her blade now on the floor rather than pointed at my throat.

I nodded. "Yeah. Your brave knight...I don't know if I'm still that to you anymore, but I'd like to be."

"...You are, Flynn. You always have been."

I couldn't suppress my smile, not that I wanted to anyways. "Then I will be. Now, you said something when you were mad...we're a team. We need to be. When we walk down this ramp, am I going to have Resa by my side, or am I going to have my sister by my side?"

A soft smile formed across her face, nodding. "I think you already know the answer to that."

"Then let's get out of here. Please."

"You don't need to tell me twice."

We walked down the ramp towards the Coliseum, two completely different people than beforehand. The ramp to the coliseum was steep...growing steeper with each additional step. Once we reached the empty doorway, it became impossibly steep, making any sort of exit nearly impossible, especially if we were about to go toe-to-toe with the Witch of Izalith.

I entered first, not even bothering to keep my balance as I slid down the steep stone slope, eventually hitting the ground below to look at...something. It had to be the source of all the roots that had taken over Izalith, given that it seemed to be made of them...but alive. Dead ahead looked to be a small tunnel of some sort, but I could only focus on that for a brief moment before an arm-like appendage slammed down in front of me, jarring me back to the reality of the beast before us...Resa sliding down a moment later.

Two arm-like entities sprouted off the demon, plant...I wasn't sure how to classify it. Like every other part of it, it was made of the roots, with long thin 'fingers', in a sense. In the middle, directly above the tunnel, seemed to be its body...in the sense that it was the most concentrated grouping of roots in the entire room. Oddest of all, however, were the two glowing orbs on either side of the body. One singular root protruded from them, growing a vibrant orange amidst a sea of dull brown, extending up to the ceiling of the coliseum. I could only assume they would be significant.

Resa clearly had the same idea, pointing towards the left orb. "If I've learned anything since we got to Lordran, it's that we need to cut down both of those."

"Do you want to split up? I get one while you get the other?" Oddly enough, we seemed completely safe in the far back of the arena like we currently were. The beast in front of us didn't seem to have any inherent pyromancy abilities, and its arms didn't have the reach.

Resa looked up, shaking her head. "Let's do this one together."

I smiled beneath my mask, nodding. "Then I will follow your lead."

She nodded, pressing forward towards the left orb. Several thick roots blocked our path, sum jutting up towards the ceiling while others simply weaved their way on the ground before plummeting back through the rocky floor.

Still, it wasn't a challenge to get to the left orb...occasionally the arms would come down and swat at us, but it was nothing that my shield couldn't block. Eventually, we reached it, the two of us somewhat taken back by what we saw. The orb was littered with a thick layer of vines, making it nearly impassable without clearing them out. However, near the back of the orb was a glowing yellow root, branching up around the rear of the orb...it wasn't hard to tell that it was important.

I lunged forward, my axe severing the first layer of vines, a second swing clearing out the rest of them. As I reached for the yellow vine, an arc of lightning raced past my shoulder, cracking it in half. I turned around to look at Resa, seeing a playfully confident smirk on her face.

"Sorry...too slow."

I tried to respond, but the entire room started shaking moments after Resa took down the root. A deafening roar filled the air as I looked towards the body of the roots...something was changing. A pile of roots right above us caught aflame, and yet they didn't burn away...similar to the demon's staff Resa took on in the ruins. They lifted up overhead, like a giant, wing-like appendage...as if they were set free from a binding of some sort. My suspicions were affirmed when I looked at the orange vine that was previously taut against the ceiling...it had been snapped in the center, half of it still hanging from the ceiling, half of it hanging from the burning wing.

Worst of all of this, however, was the floor. With the commotion the demon had caused, the floor was falling out in massive patches, making the trek to the other orb far more dangerous than before. Still, it had to be the solution...they were there for a reason.

Resa and I turned back around, ready to navigate our way back. She went first, far more light on her feet than I could ever hope to be, navigating the crumbling path with ease. I followed after her, doing my best...and struggling just as much as I expected to. Bricks were falling away left and right, my feet constantly slipping, multiple times by shield having to act as a third leg so that I didn't go tumbling into the darkness below.

As I caught myself from another fall, I looked down into the darkness below...I had no hope of seeing the bottom. This whole time, we'd been torn on whether or not the Abyss was here, or in New Londo. I didn't know if this answered the question...but it certainly seemed to suggest that we were above the Abyss, if not inside of it right now.

I continued the trek back, ducking beneath falling vines, blocking the sweeping arms that were coming much more frequently now...in general dealing with hell on Lordran. Resa had already made it back to where we'd started, turning back around to check on me. I was doing my best...still vastly inferior to her when it came to dexterity. I was approaching a particularly rough spot, two roots blocking any easy way across, leaving the only open path quite the jump. I wasn't making this alone...I needed help.

I waved Resa over, my sister quickly coming to the other side of the gap. "I'm going to try and catch the ledge with my shield. I'm going to need your help getting me up, alright?"

She nodded, determination the only expression on her face. "You can count on me."

"Good." I took a half step back, finding my heel standing over open ground, making any sort of a running start impossible. I only had one shot… I wasn't going back to the bonfire. I stowed my weapons away, taking my shield off its grip and holding the end with two hands. This was stupidly foolish...Resa expected nothing different from me.

I rushed forward, throwing my arms forward, both hands clamped as tightly as possible on the shield. I knew I wouldn't make the ledge, which was why I wasn't worried when I never felt my feet even skip off the stones. I plummeted downwards, only slowing down when my shield banged against the ground. It was a jarring stop, but I was held tight...this would work. I looked up and over my shield, seeing Resa gripping the bottom end of it with one hand, the other firmly gripping her sword that was planted in the ground.

"Flynn...you have got to lose some weight."

I let go of my shield with one hand, reaching forward to grab onto the ledge. "Can we save the criticism for later? Kind of in a bind right now." I pulled up with my ledge hand, doing everything I could to get up and out. Resa was doing everything she could on her end, occasionally taking her sword out of the ground only to plant it a brick or two further back, the two of us working together as I slowly crawled out of the pit. Eventually, I managed to swing around and get one foot up and on the ledge, making the rest of the process somewhat trivial.

I pulled myself up and over the rest of the ledge, my arms weak from exertion. Still, there wasn't time to waste, evidenced by the massive creature that was very much alive. I sprung to my feet, the two of us charging off towards the opposite side of the coliseum. Much like where we'd just been, the path to the orb had already crumbled away...this was just not the time for heavy armor. I took off my helmet, tossing it back towards the exit of the room...every bit counted.

"Not exactly what you meant by losing weight I know...I'll work on that when we're out of this mess."

"If I have to pull that sack of metal up again, I'll be glad I'm not also pulling up the helmet. You want to take point this time?"

"Sure...unless I need you to pull this sack of metal up." I gave her a friendly nudge, taking a few steps back as I prepared for the first jump. With a running start I was easily able to clear it, and I found the next two gaps to be extremely narrow, barely even requiring a jump in order to get across them.

The last one, however...even with Resa's help, I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it. On top of that, I wasn't even sure Resa would be able to make it...unless she had my help. My sister was still a jump behind me, quickly catching up. We shared the cramped area between the previous jump and the next one, neither of us wanting to cross it.

"Flynn, let's do what we did in the Tomb...with your shield."

It took me a moment...I'd blocked out most of that journey. "Against the paladin?" When she nodded, I took to a knee, holding my shield up over my back. "This means that I'm not going to be there with you, so you better make it back. I'd hate to lose my helmet over this."

"Yeah...that would just be terrible, wouldn't it?" She rolled her eyes, taking as much of a step back as she could. "Are you ready?"

"So long as you haven't gained any weight, I think this'll work."

"You're...I had that coming." With that, she leaped in the air, gaining as much vertical distance as she could before I took over. A moment later and I felt her weight press against the shield on my back...this better work. I stood up, pushing off with my legs and fully extending my arms, angling her roughly in the direction she needed to go. Once I was fully standing I looked up, watching her sail through the air overhead.

It wasn't even close...she landed with plenty of room to spare on the other side, dashing around vines and arms towards the second orb. Her blade drawn, the vines blocking the yellow one quickly were slashed to pieces, another lightning spear being pulled out to take out what we hoped was the correct root.

It seemed that it was, another flaming 'wing' extending upwards shortly after it was cut, the room again starting to shake violently around us. More bricks started to crumble around me, each of the jumps becoming that much worse. That's when I realized...Resa had to get back.

I could tell that it dawned on her too, her sprint towards me coming to an abrupt stop near the ledge. An idea came to mind, likely the only thing that would work. I took my shield off again, extending most of it over the ledge, but firmly planting both feet on the end placed on the ground.

Resa looked up, cocking her head to the side and raising an eyebrow. "Seriously? I'm supposed to land on that?"

"Don't miss."

She shook her head, taking a few paces back before breaking out into a sprint. I held my arms open, ready to secure her once she made it acros. She flew into the air...directly on target. Her front foot just barely grazed the pointed tip of the giant's greatshield, giving her enough time to readjust and plant her second foot firmly in the middle. She kept barreling forward, plunging into my body as I reflexively wrapped my arms around her.

"I've got you. We can do this...together."

"Well, we sure couldn't do this alone. Thank you...brother."

A shift in the ground beneath us prevented any further discussions, Resa leaving my arms as I retrieved my shield. No, not a shift in the ground...a shift in the air. It seemed like the beast was launching a wave of fire, numerous orbs of fire starting to rain from its fiery wings and down to the ground below, with no method to where they fell. We were forced off of where we currently were, the once-trivial jumps back to safety growing worse with each passing moment as bricks fell out from beneath us. Still, we managed to make it with little trouble, the fireballs raining down around us fueling our desire to make it to safe ground.

However, it wasn't nearly as safe as earlier...growing worse by the moment. A massive hole had broken open in the center of the coliseum, starting to ripple outwards as bricks caved in all around us. I turned back, looking where we'd come from...there was no chance we'd scale the the slope, let alone make the climb to reach it.

I turned to Resa, holding my shield up as I blocked the remaining fireballs that cascaded down from above. Every second we weren't acting was a second wasted, the floor falling further and further apart as the bricks tumbled into the void below. "Any ideas?"

She looked about, trying to find something, anything...any semblance of an idea as to how we defeat this creature. Finally, she pointed forward. "There. That root."

I followed her gaze, angling my view lower to the ground...no, beneath the ground. A massive root wove its way along the right side of the coliseum, travelling to stop underneath the body of the beast. With the bricks falling away, however...it would be quite the jump.

"Are you sure about this?"

As another fireball splashed down overhead, she nodded. "You can do it. Even with your helmet on." A playful smile was all that remained before she dashed forward, taking a massive leap off the crumbling floor as she flew towards the root. Somehow, she landed perfectly, both feet catching the curved sides, and she quickly navigated further down the path to stand underneath the creature.

This was it...if I failed this, we'd be doing this all over again, and that wasn't something I looked forward to. I took a few paces back, donning my helmet before it fell into the crumbling void below, only then starting my push towards the edge. I couldn't move fast, and I couldn't jump far...but just this once, I'd have to.

As I reached the edge, I crouched my knees down, diving low to the ground, not stopping as I unleashed every ounce of energy in my body into propelling myself upwards, sailing through the air towards the root below. I reached for my axe, fully extending it in front of me as I felt my body reach the peak of its ark, falling down toward the void below.

The handle of my axe slammed into the top of the root, the pointed tip of my axe digging into the far side. I pulled myself up, adrenaline coursing through me as the bricks continued to fall away. I hurried along, catching up to Resa as we moved behind the beast.

At the far end was...a parasite? It was hard to tell exactly what it was, but it wasn't much larger than a shield, though infinitely more ugly.

"Is this?"

"What's controlling it? I don't know." I held my axe out, hovering over the parasite. "Maybe this is what their mother turned into, after her experiments...if this is, in fact, her."

Resa nodded, drawing her blade as well. "If it is...we need her soul. There's only one way to find out if this is it. You deserve to find out."

I didn't want to have to do this, but it didn't seem I had a choice. I lowered my axe down, the immobile parasite squirming and squealing about as its impending death loomed nearer. I felt awful, willingly killing such a defenseless creature, but we'd come here for a reason. We had to finish it.

I plunged the tip of my axe through the thin chitinous skin, any sense of a resistance immediately ceasing. The parasite sat limp from such a simple prick, slowly fading away into souls. Not all dissipated, however...the glowing pulse of its soul, the soul we came here for, rose to float just above the ground.

Tenderly, I picked it up, putting it away. As I did so, however, the entire arena started to shake again...was there more? I turned around, immediately understanding what was happening. The plethora of roots that had formed, or perhaps even created, by this creature all started to crumble away at once, including the wall of roots that was right behind the parasite. Behind it sat a simple bonfire, tucked far away in the back.

"That's our only way out of here. We should rendezvous with the sisters."

Resa nodded, the two of us lighting the bonfire together as we took a seat, closing our eyes and envisioning the shrine just outside.

* * *

We appeared back at the Shrine, the rumbling from the coliseum echoing out even to here. Quelaag and Quelaan were clearly both startled, the former turning to us. "What has happened? Is it finished?"

I nodded, decidedly keeping the soul of their mother hidden from them. "Yes, but the roots are starting to fall away. I don't know how far they'll spread. Will we be able to make it back?"

Quelaag shook her head. "No. We'll take the hidden way out...just to be safe. Come, undead...we must leave at once."

Without hesitation I climbed onto Quelaan's back again, wrapping my arms around her as she and Quelaag hurried off, this time heading towards Izalith. The ancient city was falling to pieces, roots starting to crumble and decay in the streets leaving half-structured buildings behind. Thankfully, the sisters made it onto the long bridge that lead back towards the ruins, hurriedly running down it.

However, we weren't alone...a titanite demon was blocking the way back, crouched down to account for its broken leg and head. Quelaan looked back, gathering my attention. "Quelaag and I will handle this...you and your sister have done enough."

Quelaag charged forward, sword in hand, cutting a wide swath in front of her. Blazing fire leaped from the blade in a wide arc that trailed behind it, the wave of fire crashing into the demon's rocky flesh. Several more quick swipes followed, each one leaving trails of flames in the air.

However, she didn't fight alone. Quelaag held out her hand, a pyromancy orb coming alight in her hand that immediately deepened into a dark red. "I have not done this in...I don't know. I only hope I still remember how."

What followed was a series of crimson flashes erupting from her palm, travelling with surprising speed towards the demon to erupt in a ball of lava. It was similar to the combustion pyromancy I'd learned...though I could only assume it was a Chaos pyromancy since Quelaan knew it. Her attacks were quick and rhythmic, a steady beat of eruptions detonating around the creature that grew more powerful with each successful cast. It seemed she had to remember exactly how to cast pyromancies, something she assuredly hadn't done while she was in her sickly, weakened state.

Between the two of them, the demon fell in no time, leaving behind a slab of titanite like all the others. As much as I wanted to retrieve it, there simply wasn't time...the entire city of Izalith starting to fall to pieces behind us. However, we weren't finished with our interruptions. Further down the path, near a blocked door at the end...was Solaire.

He was clearly mad, of that there was no doubt. Around him were a group of odd bugs capable of producing light...and he was wearing one of them on his head. It looked like a sort of crown, a glowing ball of light hovering around the spikes of the insect's legs. He seemed to distracted to notice us, but the unmistakable shield and tunic gave it away...this was all that was left of Solaire.

"I...I have found the Sun! I am the Sun!" He huddled down in the corner, nearly doubled over from his erratic and freakish laughter. On a whim he spun about, pointing directly at Resa. "I have found my sun, Rita! I have found it here...you shall not have it!"

I could tell by the way my sister was holding myself...she was heartbroken. Solaire had guided her to the covenant she still faithfully served...and yet now he was no more than a madman.

"It...it is a lovely Sun, Solaire. I'm glad you've found it." Behind her back and away from Solaire's prying eyes she waved Quelaan and me onwards, hoping to end this as soon as we could.

Quelaan quietly continued forward, reaching the door and holding out her hand. Slowly it began to rise up, leading back towards the ruins through a series of roots. It seemed the destruction had reached here quite yet, though there was no way to know if it would imminently.

Resa spurred Quelaag on, leaving behind Solaire. "Please stay safe, friend...I would hate to lose you."

That was the last we saw of him, another jarring shake in the landscape forcing us onwards and towards safety. We ascended the roots, emerging just before the entrance to where we'd fought the flaming demon. This area seemed to be somewhat untouched thus far, but the rumbling in the background suggested that it wouldn't last. Quickly, the four of us traversed the hall and up the stairs, eventually reaching the large dias at the top. Just as before, it began rising on its own once we were settled onto it. It came to a stop in Quelaag's domain, Resa and I finally dismounting the sisters.

Silence filled the room...we were all aware of what had happened. Their mother had completely pervaded Izalith, and with her death, Quelaag and Quelaan's homeworld was crumbling into ruins. No matter the fact that it had to be done...the reality still hurt.

Quelaag finally broke the silence, beckoning us towards her sister's bonfire. "You all came her for her soul, I know. Please, do not let it linger here. Do with it what you must...but do not be a stranger, Flynn and Resa."

We both nodded, taking a seat, envisioning the altar where we'd already placed Gravelord Nito's soul.

* * *

Instead, we emerged at Firelink Shrine...it seemed that, even with a soul fueling the Lordvessel, we couldn't travel directly to it. Once again, we made the plunge, descending into utter darkness for a few moments before eventually landing near the blazing altar...and the door beyond.

I took out the Witch's soul, offering it to the Lordvessel without remorse. Just as last time, the door shuddered, trying to pry itself open again, only managing to make insignificant progress. A tiny sliver of light poked through the door at its uppermost point. It felt like we'd been through hell for this soul...and we had two left.

 **I just checked - after last chapter, this story officially has more follows/favorites than anything else I've written, even with a third of the views of other stuff. I've always loved the Dark Souls community for the support they give to everyone else (amidst a choir of 'git guds'), and I think that this is a perfect example. I want to thank everyone that's followed/favorited this story - it's that kind of support that keeps me going.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Flynn**

 **SL69 - 26 VIT - 23 ATT - 23 END - 36 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL69 - 23 VIT - 23 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 24 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 35 FTH**

 **Resa**

Just as last time, once the soul was placed in the altar, both of us returned to Firelink Shrine...I knew that Flynn wanted to visit Quelaana again, if nothing else...I wanted to visit Rhea, as well.

I made my way back up to the church, riding the iron elevator to the main floor where I'd previously met Rhea. However, when I arrived there this time...she was gone. Frantically, I made a mad dash around the church, even going so far as to climb up to the belltower...nothing. I didn't even see a note, anything that even remotely signified that she'd left...not even a shred of clothing.

Or so I thought. I searched the small nook behind the altar where she had been praying the last time I'd seen her, finding a small scrap of parchment expertly hidden away. On the corner of it was a single word, hastily scrawled. "Petrus."

I grabbed the parchment, stuffing it away. There wasn't any way to misinterpret this...Petrus had done something to her, perhaps kidnapped, perhaps killed? No, she wouldn't be dead...there would be blood somewhere. Whatever the case was, I wanted answers, and that meant finding Petrus. However, that was the problem...I hadn't seen him since we'd left for Sen's Fortress, but Rhea had made it sound that he'd been with for some amount of time in the Catacombs and the Tomb. If there was any chance of finding Resa's abductor, that would be the place to start. However, this wasn't something I wanted to do alone...I'd wait for Flynn to return to Firelink before acting on this.

* * *

 **Flynn**

As we returned to Firelink and Resa wanted to meet with Rhea, I too wanted to meet with someone, namely Quelaana. However, before I went to her, I had to tell Laurentius about her...I hadn't forgotten about him, and I knew that he wanted to meet with her as much as I did.

However...he was nowhere to be found. He'd always been tucked away under the shade, but now, I couldn't even find him out in the sunlight. Curious, I turned to the warrior, the one man that'd been here since the beginning, hoping that he knew what happened. He was in the same place he always was, sitting just outside the heat of the bonfire.

As I approached it seemed I'd roused him from a sleep, my shadow jolting him awake. "Ah, you again. You must have been busy...but you're not here for idle chatter, I can tell. Is there something you need?"

I nodded, kneeling down to look him in the eyes. "Yes...Laurentius, the pyromancer. He left recently, or at least I hope so. I wanted to know if you knew where he went."

The warrior sat silent for a bit, mulling over what I'd just told him. "I do not know of a man named 'Laurentius'...few beyond you introduce themselves by name. However, apparel...that is something I take note of."

"He wore tattered burlap garb with a hood...he lived in the Great Swamp, though I can't say for sure what that meant for his style. It's been a while since I've seen him myself...I'm having trouble recalling the details."

At this, the warrior perked up. "A man in a hood you say? I saw someone with that description...a wideset fellow with a mace. This Laurentius, did he have any female companions?"

I shook my head...something was wrong. "No, Laurentius was thin...almost unhealthily so, but tell me more about this hooded man you speak of."

The warrior stood up, pointing towards the graveyard. "Him and a woman garbed in white made their way towards the Catacombs recently...or perhaps it was long ago? What they did after that of course, I have no way of knowing." He sat down after this, deep in though for a short while before continuing. "However, there was another hooded man, one very much thinner than the previous. If I recall correctly, he was headed down the stairs just beyond the firekeeper's old cage."

Was he headed to New Londo Ruins...or perhaps was he moving to Blighttown itself? Either way, I wanted to know...but I also needed to know about the other event the warrior spoke of, but it would have to wait. "Thank you, friend. You have been a great help to me."

"Stay safe, Flynn. You are one of very few that keep me company here, you and your sister both. Without you...I might just lose my mind."

He said it so matter-of-factly, as if he was sure that we were the only thing keeping him from falling off the brink and into insanity. There was a level of comfort to it, knowing that we were helping him. However, there was also a level of responsibility, one that I didn't want to have burdening me right now...if I didn't come back, he might be gone.

I left the warrior, hurriedly making my way towards Blighttown in hopes of catching Laurentius, if it was even him. I couldn't recall if I'd told him about Quelaan or not...he might have gone there in search of her or Quelaana, in hopes of finding what he wanted. I hoped he did...he had nurtured my flame from nothingness into something to be truly proud of. If I was worthy of Quelaana's gifts, there was no way he wasn't.

I climbed my way down to New Londo, taking the turn across the rickety bridge until I was at the entrance to Blighttown. As before, several of the ogres seemed to block my path...I was far stronger than I was back then, and had no trouble dispatching the group of them. Next came the wooden elevator, allowing me to slowly descend to the depths of Blighttown. Unsurprisingly, all of the muck that had been clogging the lower levels was gone...Quelaan had officially gotten rid of the entirety of it. This made the journey to Quelaana, who hadn't left the pillar I'd met her at, much easier.

As before, the hooded woman sat low to the ground, face shrouded by her black robes as she looked up to greet me. "Ah, Flynn. You've returned, and I can sense that your flame has been used far more since last we met. I can only guess that you are here to improve it even further."

I nodded, kneeling down on one knee as I held my hand forward, my flame bursting into existence. Quelaana brought forth her own flame, still massively dwarfing mine in size and intensity...but the difference was dropping, slowly but surely.

"My my...your flame is a deep red...a rare sight amongst pyromancers. You've become accustomed to the ways of Chaos pyromancy, have you not?"

I looked at my flame, staring intently at the fire. Even this close to it, I couldn't see any differentiation in color, but it was clear Quelaana could. "Yes. Quelaan taught me a few, and I have used them to the best of my abilities. I have acquired one more which I intend to learn shortly."

She nodded, already beginning to draw the souls from myself, her flame subtly growing in size as it happened. "Yes...very few take to using such volatile pyromancies, even though they have potent offensive potential. If you have taken a liking to them, they will serve you well. I take it you have no need for any of my wares, in that case?"

I shook my head, the souls now flowing from her flame to mine. "I don't think that will be necessary...I'm having trouble keeping track of the three that I currently use. A fourth might be too much to handle."

My flame dramatically swelled in size, growing from the size of an insect to the size of a knuckle...it seemed like a tangible thing now, beyond microscopic. "Yes...that is one thing all casters struggle with, no matter if you favor pyromancies, miracles, or evens sorceries. The more time you invest in studying the nature of casting, the more you can recall at one time. Chaos pyromancies are particularly difficult...though it is still surprising a new pyromancer is capable of taming three of them. You are a fast learner."

Eventually, the flow of souls stopped, my flame a very distinct center to my hand. "I thank you for the compliment, teacher."

There was a slight nod to her robes, standing up. "This is all that I can do for you, Flynn...every pyromancer has a limit to their flame, and you have reached yours. Perhaps when you practice this trade for longer, you will learn to improve it on your own."

"That reminds me...Laurentius. Has he come to see you yet?"

At the mention of his name, Quelaana tensed up, taking a seat. "He...yes, he has. Like you, he sought to improve the potency of his flame, and I was more than willing to provide it to him. However, there was nothing that I could provide him, nothing beyond what he provided himself. Though he has held the flame for quite some time, his aptitude is weak, or perhaps his own power dwindled when he gave you part of his own flame. Whatever the case may be, I'm quite surprised he even had the ability to grow your flame, Flynn."

Though I didn't show it on the outside, I was distraught...heartbroken. There was no doubt in my mind that he was the better pyromancer. After all, he was my teacher...it only made sense. And yet, when he split his flame in half, he ruined any chance of becoming stronger. "Do...do you know where he went?"

Quelaana pointed away from Quelaag's domain, towards the tunnel a bonfire was tucked in. "He walked that way and hasn't returned to me, at the very least. Be careful, Flynn...I fear the news may have been more than he could take."

I feared the same too...I didn't want to know who was in that tunnel, if Laurentius even knew his name anymore...but I had to find out. "Thank you, Quelaana."

I trodded off towards the tunnel, thankful that I didn't have to wade through the grime and muk. I didn't want to have to fight someone else, not after Kirk. The situations were very different, but still...these were fellow undead, like me and Resa. Even Kirk hadn't done anything wrong, he just took a different course of action than I did to accomplish the same goal. Laurentius though...he was a friend. If he didn't have his wits about him, I didn't want to think about what had to come next.

I turned the corner into the tunnel, finding a familiar man huddled in the corner. He wore the same tattered robes as Laurentius, the same Great Swamp garb, but whether or not it was Laurentius, whether or not the person realized he was Laurentius, remained to be seen.

I knelt down, startling him. The face that looked back at me was twisted and malformed, clear signs of hollowing. However, the eyes viewed me with a sense of recognition, which gave me hope. "Ah, Flynn. You've come."

I breathed a sigh of relief...perhaps there was still a chance to save him. "I have, friend. I was searching for you. You hadn't left the shrine since you made it there...I wanted to make sure you were safe."

He nodded, gesturing out in the direction of Quelaana. "I was curious, I'd seen the direction you went to go to Blighttown, a way I hadn't heard of before. I wanted to finally make it there, and Quelaana was there!" He grabbed my shoulder ecstatically, shaking himself more than me. "Alas, my flame is too weak...there is little she can do for me."

I nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry to hear that, friend."

He turned to me, marred face staring intently at my helmet. "Let me guess...the same happened to you? Don't worry, I won't think less of you if it's the case. You inherited part of my flame, after all. It would make sense."

Guilt wracked me...I couldn't bear to tell him the truth. As much as it hurt me to lie to him, I was more worried about what would happen if I didn't. "I feel better knowing that my teacher suffers from the same predicament. She sold me a scroll, but I haven't committed it to memory yet." I was thinking about the whip...I still had the scroll on me, not ever bothering to tuck it into the bottomless box. If I was going to carry out this lie, I wanted to make it sound.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, turning to me. "Well, do you have time? I never thought about asking her for her wares! Perhaps we can learn this new scroll together?"

My heart sunk, realizing just what this meant. There was no way I'd get through this without revealing just how much of a filthy liar I was. "Actually, I think Resa will be looking for me soon. I told her I'd meet her at Firelink Shrine. However…" I searched for the scroll, pulling it out. "Here...please learn it. You can teach it to me when next we meet."

He seemed positively joyous, reaching for the scroll. "Thank you, Flynn. I will look forward to finding you again, in hopes that I can pass on Quelaana's bountiful knowledge to another pyromancer."

"And I will look forward to learning it." Since I was already right by a bonfire, I took a few scoots closer to it, letting the warmth wash over me. I felt dirty, grungy...I was living a lie to the only man that had been an unconditional friend to me here, besides my own sister. I didn't know if I was saving him, or just making his inevitable fall that much worse...I didn't want to find out which, even though I had to.

Before I went back to the Shrine, I had one more visit to make...Anastacia burned in my heart.

* * *

I appeared right next to her, the lovely firekeeper sitting gracefully in the corner. As soon as I appeared, however, she leaped up, coming to wrap her arms around me from behind. I could feel her tender face nuzzled in the crook between my helmet and shoulder, pressing firmly against the cool metal.

"My, seems like someone's missed me. I would have never expected a greeting quite like this. I can't stay long...Resa will be looking at me near Firelink soon." I reached around, gripping her by the waist as I scooped her up, sliding her into my lap. A delightfully soft squeal escaped her lips before she was settled firmly in place.

"Well, you never write, you rarely visit...not many come to keep me company, and certainly none willing to treat me like this." She pulled up on her arms still intertwined around my neck, moving to nestle her back against my chest, allowing the back of her head to lean against my shoulder. "I know you've been busy...I don't fault you. But please...do try to visit."

She finally released my neck from her soft grip, moving her arms up to grip either side of my helmet. Gently, she lifted it off and gently set it to the side, allowing her to nuzzle against my cheek. Any semblance of logic and reason was lost at this point...there was no sense in trying to fight it. "I...yeah. I wish it wasn't this infrequent."

"And I told you Flynn, I'm - "

"I know you want to come with me, Anastacia." Even her name sent a slight shiver down my back. "But I've already brought you back from death once. I like you alive much more."

"I know Flynn...just teasing. You should get back to Firelink...I wouldn't want Resa to be waiting." I nodded, begrudgingly allowing her to slide off my lap. Even though I knew there was no physical difference, it felt like warmth fled my body at the mere sight of her moving away from me. "Stay safe, Flynn, and do visit when you have the time."

"I'll do my best. I think our next destination is the ruins of New Londo...I don't know when we'll be back."

At this, Resa actually perked up, a look of seriousness washing over her face. "Are you aware of the ghosts?"

I shook my head. "I've only heard the place by name. I don't know any beyond that."

"New Londo has a...tragic past. I'm sure you'll find when you arrive there. However, the people that use to inhabit it have all been cursed, becoming ghosts. To fight them, you must be cursed as well." She paused for a moment, continuing a moment later. "This is all what undead have said that passed through Firelink Shrine. I have no way of knowing whether or not it is true."

Cursed...she clearly didn't mean the undead curse. That was too simple. "How does one become 'cursed'?"

A look of sadness came next. "There are rumors that beasts in the sewers are capable of spraying a mist capable of cursing someone. Be careful though, Flynn. Curses bring you to the brink of hollowing, whether or not you desire them or not. On top of that, they make you very weak...fragile like glass." She reached into the folds of her cloak, pulling out two skull-engraved stones. "This will help you break the curse once you no longer need it. I have kept them on me at all times...a curse is a terrifying thing to wish upon yourself."

I nodded, graciously accepting the twin stones. "I...thank you so much, Anastacia."

She smiled cutely, nodding. "It's a bit guilty, I'll admit...you can't return to me if you're hollowed. Just put them to good use, and I won't ask for any reimbursement."

"Well, you're getting some anyways." I leaned forward, gently placing my lips against her cheek. It was a bold step...I wanted to take it. I could feel a sudden shortness of breath escape her lips, returning to normal a moment later. "I best be on my way...Resa's waiting."

Anastacia pouted, but made it clear it was a ruse. "I suppose that works as an advance payment...I might need another when you return."

I nodded, smiling as I placed my helmet atop my head and moving towards the bonfire. "You can count on it."

I walked over to the bonfire, taking a seat as I closed my eyes, envisioning the sights and sounds of Firelink Shrine. My mind turned to a haze, as I could feel myself drifting between the two locations. At the last moment though, I thought I heard Anastacia again, three simple words fleeing her lips. "I love you."

* * *

 **Resa**

"Flynn."

He'd appeared just next to the Firelink Shrine bonfire a few moments ago, somewhat dazed. I'd been sitting by for...I wasn't quite sure how long, waiting for him to finally return. I needed to find Rhea, and I didn't have the patience for this right now.

I put my hand on his shoulder, shaking him slightly. "Flynn."

Thankfully that was enough to rouse him from whatever he was dealing with. "Oh, uh...yeah. Sorry. I just...yeah."

Something was off. This wasn't Flynn, not by a long shot. "What happened. Was it Quelaana?"

He shook his head, standing up. "Well, not entirely. I went to visit Anastacia - that's why I was late. And...yeah, she said something that's going to take some time to process."

I smirked...it didn't take much to be able to read Flynn like a book right now. "I won't pry, don't worry. However...Resa's missing, and I think Petrus took her. I asked the warrior, and - "

"The Catacombs!" That finally brought Flynn fully back to his senses as he continued on. "He told me there was a hooded man with a woman dressed in white headed towards the Catacombs. I didn't know what to think of it at the time...but that has to be Petrus and Rhea."

I'm glad Flynn figured that out...the warrior didn't tell me that, even when I asked about Petrus or Rhea by name. "Let's go."

The two of us broke off into a sprint, rushing towards and through the graveyard and into the Catacombs beyond. Once again, we had no clue where she might be...just that this was the only place to look.

We charged through the area, not even needing to deal with the skeletons that tried to swarm us. With the necromancers gone they were easy to take down with my blade, holy power banishing them immediately. Eventually, we made it all the way to the bottom, running towards where we'd fought the strange three-faced person in the crypt.

As we neared, I could hear noises...too indistinct to make out specifics, but clearly human, As we approached I ducked low to the ground, hoping to see what was happening before it saw me. Eventually, we made it to the edge of the massive crypt, able to peer inside.

It was Petrus...or I could only assume it was, based on the wideset body, and the fact that a very scarred Rhea was bound and on her knees in front of him. He wore a cloak that obscured his face, but I could only assume it was him. In his main hand was his mace, wrapped in thick cloth to lessen the effect of the massive spikes that I remembered protruding from it. As I watched on he raised his arm up, slamming the weighted weapon down onto Rhea.

"Where is it! Where is the Rite of Kindling?" He raised his weapon up again, beating her again.

I was too frozen to act...I didn't know what I expected to be happening, but torture was not it. Rhea refused to talk even though she was free to do so, shaking her head slightly. Had she forsaken the Way of White...or just Petrus?

I had to act, I had to. I was a Warrior of Sunlight, and she was in need of my help. Not bothering to think through a plan I flung myself forward, falling gracelessly to the floor and barely managing to land on my feet. As soon as I hit the ground, Petrus turned his attention towards me, taking a few steps to stand just behind Rhea.

He unwrapped the cloth around his mace, allowing the weapon to gleam amidst the torchlight. He grabbed Rhea by her hood, lifting the bound woman up forcefully. "Did you think you could stop me wench? Did you think this reject would be enough to save you?" He moved his mace so that a spike was positioned on her forehead, a singular rivulet of blood trailing down her battered face. His next words were clearly pointed towards us. "Take another step forward and I'll put this through her face. I've killed her again and again...I don't think she's got much sanity left in her bones."

This reject...he still didn't see Flynn, who didn't jump down with me for some odd reason. That gave us the advantage of surprise. I held my arms up, talisman carefully concealed in my right hand, taking a few steps back. "What do you want with her, Petrus. We have the Rite of Kindling." It was a lie, but I didn't know if he knew that. It was true, we at one point held the Rite, but we'd given it to Rhea. She had made it sound that it was a desired object of the Way of White...clearly that was true based on the situation unfolding in front of me.

"No...that's simply impossible. The Rite is a treasure known only to the Way of White. You couldn't possibly have discovered it. A good bluff, but it will get you nowhere."

I shook my head, chuckling, hoping the facade held up. "It was in this very room. A strange man held it, a man with three faces and three masks. He passed it on to us as we slew him."

Petrus' mace dug in slightly more, the trickle of blood thickening slightly...wrong move. "Wench, you told them it was here! You are not worthy to be part of this covenant!" He looked up towards me again, his composure calming as he returned the mace to where he'd been holding it before. "Your lies mean nothing to me, Rhea of Thorolund. Unless you have proof you hold the Rite, you have no business here. This is a matter of the Way of White, not defectors like you."

I didn't know what to do...there was no way I'd be able to form a lightning spear fast enough to do anything, and I couldn't attack him in melee without giving him time to react. I could only hope Flynn had a better plan than I did.

"Why would I show you the Rite, given what you're doing to Rhea. You're the one that's not worthy of such a gift, Petrus."

The man chuckled, moving to take off his hood. Underneath was certainly Petrus...but on the brink of becoming hollow. "I suppose my identity is no longer a secret anymore. I will give you until the count of five. If you're still here, the spike goes through her head and you can give up on ever speaking to Rhea again."

"What good does it do you if she's dead?"

He laughed, nodding. "I'm giving her a choice. Either she can tell me where the Rite is while she's still sane, or I can frisk it from her when she's not. Thus far, it seems like she'd rather forget who you are than simply give up the Rite."

Next to me came a massive crash...it seemed that Flynn had finally made his entrance. "Or perhaps it's because I have it in my hand."

I looked over, just as shocked as Petrus was...but I quickly understood just what I was looking at. It was clear he'd gone to visit Quelaana, given by just how much his pyromancy flame had swelled in size. The way he was holding it made it give off a very deep, reddish hue...not too dissimilar to what the Rite looked like for the brief time we had it. In my mind, I was singing praises to my brother, but externally I had to make it look like I wasn't surprised by this.

Petrus took the bait, perhaps because he was so close to hollowing he'd take anything that even looked like the Rite. He dropped Rhea to the ground, bolting towards Flynn. "Give it to me!"

Now was finally the time to act. While Petrus was charging us I reared my hand back, forming a lightning spear in my hand and hurling it directly at him. The powerful bolt struck him in the chest, sending him staggering back...but I wasn't done. Spear after spear rained down on him, his animalistic desire for the Rite the only thing fueling him to keep pressing forward. Once he got close enough to even consider fighting, Flynn warped his flame, a braid of deep red fire dripping down his hand and sliding to the floor...it seemed like he'd learned the pyromancy he'd picked up in Izalith. When he had the time to do so, I wasn't quite sure.

Petrus' eyes lit up in horror, his face contorting into that of pure rage. "You lied!" He raised his mace up, but it was too late. The whip wrapped around his armor, practically strangling him in its grip, forcing the weapon from his hand. With no remorse, I plunged my blade into his chest, a gout of blood pouring from his back.

I didn't stop...he deserved every plunging strike from my blade. He was too broken to mount a resistance, allowing me to sink my blade through his armor several more times until he eventually fell, souls pouring around us.

Not stopping, I rushed towards Rhea, lifting her beaten head up off the floor. I reached for my talisman, but a gentle hand stopped me. In front of me, Rhea shook her head. "I can feel myself...I'm on the brink. Please, kill me. I'd rather return a hollow with my last memory being of you, than hollow now and know that you would be the first one I attack."

Already her eyes were glossing over, a sort of rigor mortis taking over her as her body began tensing up. She wasn't dying...that's not what this was. I didn't think Undead could die, and I still didn't. No, she was hollowing, turning into a feral and mindless version of herself any minute.

"If that is your last request, friend...I will grant it." Tears were beginning to stream down my face as I reached for my blade, holding it up and over her limp body. I could feel her stirring again...becoming a shadow of her former self.

I plunged my blade down, feeling the slight resistance as it slid through her midsection. That was all it took, Petrus already having beaten her to the brink of death as well as the brink of sanity. The weight on my legs faded as Rhea did, until eventually I was simply holding a bloody sword to the ground.

I didn't have the strength to stand up. The physical strength, yes...but not the mental strength. Having to do this hurt in a way that a sword never could...a bleeding of my heart. Flynn knelt down, wrapping his burly arms around me with a genuine sincerity. "I'm sorry, sister...I was too late."

I shook my head. "No...we were too late. Damn Petrus. Damn him forever."

I couldn't stay here any longer, not knowing what had just happened. "Let's leave. Where do we need to go."

There was a long pause, Flynn helping me to my feet. "The sewers...you're not going to like it."

"Why's that?"

"We have to become cursed to even have a chance of surviving New Londo...which will take us to the brink of hollowing ourselves." He handed me an odd stone, a skull embossed on its center. "This will help us break it - I have one too. If you ever feel like you're going to lose yourself, use it. I'd rather give up on Gwynevere than even think about letting you hollow."

I nodded solemnly...if we were going to continue this, we would willingly be subjecting ourselves to be like Petrus and Rhea just were. I wasn't sure if I'd make it...but I couldn't give up before we even started. "Okay. Let's go."

He led me into the Tomb of the Giants, navigating our way to the nearest bonfire using his flame. Once there, we took a seat, and I closed my eyes, envisioning the lone bonfire in the sewers, tucked away at the end of the long hallway.

* * *

When we appeared, Flynn kept guiding me...I still didn't quite have the will to think on my own for the time being. We havigated around the winding hallways of the sewers, eventually reaching a place we'd never entered before...a place we'd decided not to enter before. I remembered the creature right in front of me...a lizard with two massive eyes. They'd nearly killed me before, covering my legs in some sort of crystals. If we were back, I could only assume it's because this time, they actually had to kill us.

"Please tell me this isn't what I'm expecting it to be...please."

Flynn nodded taking, a step towards the odd creature. As he did so, it spewed out a cloud of gray smoke that filled the air around both of us. I could feel my lungs tense up, the hazardous air now beginning to work on my innards and my skin. I tried to move, but could barely manage it. My legs were already nearly frozen from the crystals consuming them...I couldn't see them, but I could feel them. Flynn didn't move as well, simply turning his midsection to face me. "Don't forget me, sister...we have to rely on each other more than - "

As he spoke, crystals now formed around his armor until eventually he was cut off. Was he dead? I didn't know...but I could feel the same thing happen to me. Crystals raced up my back and my face, soon preventing even the simple action of blinking from happening. For a few moments I was frozen in my own body, able to see but nothing else. Eventually, even my eyesight was taken me as I died...or at least I think I did.

* * *

I reappeared next to a bonfire...I didn't know which one. They all looked the same, after all...just a dancing pillar of flame. I couldn't tear my eyes from it, no matter how hard I tried...the simply fire drew me in completely and inexorably, capturing my undivided attention.

Next to me was...someone. He looked familiar...the bulky armor, the massive shield in his hand. Was he my brother...did I have a brother? If I did, I couldn't remember his name.

My bones felt weak, impressively so. Had I always been weak? I didn't think so. I'd fought impressive creatures before, and been victorious. This must have been new...I wasn't always like this.

A memory flashed through my head...the man next to me. That armor had fought with me in those fights, protected me...saved me. He had to be a friend of some sort...but I couldn't place the name even if I wanted to.

The man spoke one simple word. "Rhea?"

I turned my head. That name sounded familiar...it might have been my name. "Yes?"

The armor breathed a sigh of relief...he had to know me as well. He might know more about himself, if he knew my name. "Who are you?"

He paused, clearly struggling to find an answer. Why did he know my name, and not his own? That didn't make sense. Finally, he spoke, still full of doubt. "Flynn?"

Flynn...that name sounded familiar. I didn't know anyone else, so it had to be his name. "Flynn. What do we do?"

Again, he strained, trying to think. "We fight...cursed foes. I don't know where."

"Do you know someone who does?"

Slowly, he nodded. "I don't know her name. But I know her face, and I know where she is. Tower...blacksmith."

I tried to envision such vague terms in my mind...for some reason, I still remembered the Lordvessel. It must have been important to me. Something similar to a tower came to my mind...I could only hope it was the one Flynn was talking about. I closed my eyes, trying to follow it, hoping the Lordvessel would lead me there.

* * *

I opened my eyes again...we were both in a small tower, a woman garbed in dingy clothes huddled in the corner. She didn't look familiar to me...but Flynn knew her. I didn't know how. As we appeared, a brief look of happiness ran across her features, but then she took one look at me, sadness becoming the predominant feature. That...wasn't nice.

Flynn spoke, clearly recognizing the woman. "Help...where do we go?"

The woman nodded, her eyes starting to tear up. New Londo...I can take you there if you need. What else do you need to know?"

She spent the next little bit explaining to us just who, and where we were. I was Resa, Flynn was my brother, and she was Anastacia. I knew miracles, my brother knew pyromancies...everything was starting to make sense again. I could tell she cared more about Flynn than she did me...perhaps they liked each other? If so, she didn't say so. She explained that we were cursed, which was why we didn't remember what should be basic things. I didn't like being cursed...but she said we did it for a reason.

At the end, Flynn finally spoke. "Anastacia...guide us. Help us."

The woman nodded, moving to the bonfire. Could she use the Lordvessel? Perhaps if she was with both of us, we could help her. She described this place called Firelink Shrine. Oddly enough, the mere mention of the name brought with it a vivid picture...this place was important to me. I closed my eyes, trying to get there.

* * *

I opened my eyes, appearing at Firelink Shrine. Anastacia was standing up...I did too, since she was our guide. She led us towards a staircase that led downwards, moving further on towards an elevator. I stepped onto it, the three of us travelling downwards

When we settled to a stop, we appeared to be in some sort of large cavern, barely any light leaking down from above. Anastacia pointed forward. This is New Londo...you cursed yourselves so you could fight the denizens of this place. Flynn, I gave you two stones with a skull on it. When you no longer need to fight them, use it, and you will return to how you were."

"Stay with us...guide us." Flynn called out, forcing Anastacia to turn around from her walk to the elevator.

"I can't fight the beings here. I am not cursed."

"Stay...please. I will keep you safe."

Anastacia sighed, nodding. The corners of her mouth turned up into a slight smile which she stifled expertly. "Okay, Flynn...I will."

 **With this chapter, I just broke the 200k word mark. Kind of crazy when I think about the fact that at 50k they'd just beaten the Gargoyles...it's been quite a ride.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Flynn**

 **SL70 - 27 VIT - 23 ATT - 23 END - 36 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL70 - 23 VIT - 23 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 25 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 35 FTH**

 **Flynn**

Every urge in my body told me to fight, to burn, to destroy everything around me...I'd felt this before, back in the Catacombs. Back then, however, I didn't realise I ww hollowing, a sort of odd benefit of being thrown into the depths of the process a second time. I knew how I acted, violently and with an urge to protect Resa, and I could control it...I was aware of what was happening to my mind.

However, I clung onto Anastacia, hoping that here apparent sanity would keep me sane as well. I didn't know if that was possible...I didn't know if anything was possible. Up until I'd had the foresight to talk to Anastacia, a brief glimpse of a woman in a tower being the only thing I could recall, I barely even knew my own name. I knew my sister's though, Resa...I didn't know what to think of that. Thinking hurt.

I didn't remember much about Anastacia...I could recall that I knew her face, and that I knew where she was. Based on what she wore, it didn't look like she was a fighter, but she seemed more than happy to be our guide. She led us forward steadily, leading down a pathway from where we'd just came from...Firelink Shrine, I think she called it. I couldn't remember. Up ahead, a long wooden bridge stretched out before us, the only way to get across the vast expanse of water blocking us from the city. Briefly, I considered swimming across, but pushed away the idea...I would drown. Why the thought even occurred to me bothered me, but I was prepared to deal with many more senseless ideas.

We crossed the bridge, Anastacia behind me, and Resa behind her. Anastacia kept her hand on my shoulder, as if guiding me in the correct destination. As we got closer to the ruins, she pointed forward. "Those are the cursed enemies, the ghosts of New Londo. I will stay back while you fight them...I cannot do so without becoming cursed."

I nodded, finding myself moving forward faster than before. "Understood." I fought back the carnal desire to tear them apart that started to burn inside me...I had to stay in control of myself, or else I would slip, and becoming irreversibly hollowed.

Once we set foot in the ruins, however, it seemed Resa was fighting a completely separate compulsion...fear. I stepped forward to the ghosts, brandishing my surprisingly heavy axe while they drew ethereal daggers, rushing towards me. I turned back, however, to find Resa standing stock still, the blade in her hand quivering violently. Had she always been like this, too afraid to attack an enemy? I didn't have the answer.

I swung my axe at the ghost, watching it vanish before my eyes in one simple swing.. It seemed they were weak, incredibly so, but so was I...I could barely pick up my axe. The massive weapon fell to the ground as I swung it, several seconds wasted as I tried to lift it up from the ground. There was no way I'd always been this weak...I wouldn't have chosen a weapon I couldn't carry. This shield, as well, slowed me down...I couldn't handle both.

I dropped my shield to the ground, the ruckus that followed drawing the attention of every other ghost in the vicinity, all starting to swarm me at once. With my off hand free, I gripped the base of the axe, finding it much more manageable than it was when I held it with only one hand. As they rushed me, I swung my weapon forward again, knocking another one down as my axe crashed to the ground again. As I lifted it back up, I felt a dagger sink into my back...it shouldn't hurt this much.

Pain exploded through me, every bit of strength I had left devoted to staying in two legs. It must be the curse...that's why I was so weak, in mind and in body. I could try to keep my mind from degrading, but my body...I had to make do with what I had.

As the dagger was ripped from my back, I steadied myself, lifting my axe from the ground and swinging it out in front of me. They were wild, unwieldy swings, every single one, but they seemed to be doing their job, another ghost falling in front of me. Only one more remained, and I tried to catch it before it could catch me. As I expected, however, I was too slow, finding another dagger slipping into my side before I could even lift my weapon up. I fell to one knee, not finding the strength to lift myself back up again.

That was, until Resa ran over, holding up some sort of folded cloth in her hand, soft words escaping her lips for a few seconds. After that, I felt like a completely new person, strength returning to my limbs, the wounds in my back closing up promptly. With one great swing, I whirled around, banishing the final ghost away.

I could tell I still wasn't strong, my axe still wildly continuing its arc long after I wished it wouldn't, but it was an improvement...whatever Resa had done brought me further from insanity. I walked back towards my shield, finding it slightly easier to lift up and hold than before...I could do this.

I turned back to my sister, nodding. "Thank you. You saved me." All I got as a response was a simple nod...I hoped that she was okay.

Anastacia now seemed about as lost as we were, eventually pointing to a staircase that led far upwards, towards a massive building that loomed in front of us. I barely could remember why we were here, let alone where we needed to go. So long as she was willing to lead us, I would follow.

At the top of the stairs were more ghosts...I had a feeling there were more in the ruins than I'd ever want to manage. As they both rushed towards me I cut one down with my axe, still struggling to maintain control of the unwieldy weapon. I was getting better, every swing happening with slightly more control than the previous one. I managed to take down the second ghost before it had a chance to retaliate, clearing the way forward.

Ahead was a stone bridge, leading to what appeared to be the largest building in all of New Londo. I crossed the bridge, entering into a small chamber crawling with ghosts...I wished I was surprised, but I wasn't.

A new thought occurred to me...one that I hadn't had before. I remembered another weapon that I carried, one that wasn't a blade or an axe, but fire. Was it simply not important to me...was that the reason it'd taken me this long to even remember that it existed. Something else stirred in my memories, a woman unlike any I'd seen before. She was pale and sickly...I couldn't place a name. She'd taught me how to use the flame, to create powerful weapons from the flame...in this situation, it seemed like a good idea.

I dropped my shield to the ground, not able to hold up its weight while simultaneously calling forth the tiny flame that swelled up in my left hand, focusing on one of the flames the pale woman had taught me to create. Thankfully, muscle memory took over, my hand contorting and twisting itself through several odd gestures, the flame deepening in color while also growing rapidly in size. My hand started shaking violently, unable to tame the raw power that was burgeoning in front of me. Without a second though I pushed my hand forward, letting the massive ball of fire that had been created fly forward.

Ghosts burned away left and right, the explosion of fire and lava alike taking down nearly all of them. With the one that remained, I took it down with my axe, staggering forward...after all that, I felt weak. It took me a few moments to recover, one hand on my knee while the other held the axe that kept me upright, slow and deep breaths eventually calming my nerves.

I thought this was supposed to be easier...I didn't have many fights that I could remember, but of the few that I did, I never remember tiring out. I remembered fighting a massive demon on a bridge...another demon in a cramped room...a man clad in golden armor...a giant behemoth made of lava...and a man clad in black spiked armor. In all of those I remember holding fast, able to wield my shield with ease while simultaneously attacking with my axe or the flame. Nothing like...this.

Anastacia ran up to me, pushing past Resa, and setting her hands on my shoulders. "Flynn, are you okay?"

I nodded, righting myself to stand upright again. "I'm...tired. Fighting shouldn't be this hard. It...I don't think it was before."

She nodded, taking a few steps back. "Your body is weakened by the curse. I wish I could help you...I am only here because you don't want me to go."

"You are not cursed, you are sane. Keep me, and her, in check." I pulled Resa in, my sisters gaunt and shriveled face somewhat startling. This was a product of the curse, too...I remembered coping with this before, but never being quite at the state she was in right now. I could only imagine what I must look like underneath my armor.

Resa nodded. "I...I don't know why. I remember fighting, but now, it terrifies me." She looked at me, holding up the odd piece of cloth. "My talisman will keep you alive, but my blade...I need it to keep me alive."

"I will fight. I want to fight more, fight everything, but I'm resisting for now. We can make it, sister."

"We can."

Anastacia directed us towards the steps, seemingly the only way out of the room beyond jumping down an empty tunnel. We descended the stairs, circling around to come back out into an upper level, water filling in the space below us. It was empty in the center, allowing us to see down into what like use to be a courtyard area...it was hard to tell. As it was, though, barely anything was here save for one ghost far off in the corner, oddly not worried about us as we ignored it, moving on.

We left the room, emerging out onto a pillared walkway, a few ghosts again blocking our path. I was getting more comfortable now, able to fell each of them without getting struck, though my axe still clanged against the pillars after every swing. Further on, past the walkway, appeared to be another building, the lower half consumed by water. We pressed forward...I didn't know why we were here, but we were, and we had to do whatever it was so that we could leave.

Once inside the house, cramped walls surrounded us, a long hallway spreading out to our left and an open doorway to our right. I opted for the doorway, seeing two ghosts down the left hall that I didn't quite want to deal with at the moment. Inside, another room opened up, even more ghosts surrounding us...I'd chosen poorly.

I remembered another way to use the flame...I'd only done it a couple times, but as more ghosts started rising out of the floor, down from the ceiling, out of the walls...it seemed necessary.

"Stand back!" I brought my hand up, once again discarding my shield to make room for the flame, plunging it into the floor as I succumbed to the power that was flooding through me. I doubled over, unable to stand up, watching as fire raged around me, blasts coming out of the floor to surround me in patches of lava that I could barely control. I couldn't recall a time in which I could control them, but now, as cursed and hollow as I was...there was no hope.

Ghosts were swallowed up by the flames burning away one by one as the torrent continued. Some slipped through, a stray dagger sinking into my back as I lashed out, batting it away with my hand rather than any real weapon. After another struck me, I tried to stand up, unable to find the strength to do so. In a desperate attempt to cling to life, I spun about, slashing at them with my axe while tumbling to the ground. The axe fell free from my hand, clattering to the ground extremely out of reach. One more loomed over me, dagger poised and ready to strike me. Normally, three stabs from a dagger seemed like little to worry about...I'd been through far worse and survived. Now, however, with my body as weak from the curse as it was, I didn't know if I'd survive it.

Just as the dagger came plunging downwards, an arc of yellow briefly flashed across my vision, the ghost disappearing a split second later. Confused, I looked towards Resa...she was the only one capable of hurting the ghosts besides me. In her hand was the...she had called it a 'talisman'...she seemed as shocked as I was at what had just happened.

Once the fires had finished and the lava had all cooled down, Anastacia rushed towards me, helping me back to my feet. I was still dazed, even a little lightheaded, but still alive...that's what mattered. Resa once again restored me to full health, the talisman apparently acting as a way for her to perform all sorts of different miracles...similar to the flame in my hand.

I lifted up my axe and shield, looking around the room. At the far end appeared to be a ladder that led upwards. With no other options, I began climbing.

I emerged at the rooftop, pulling myself up and over until I collapsed onto the ground below. Even something as simple as that, as simple as climbing a ladder, now exhausted me...I wanted to be done with this curse before there was nothing left of me to cure. Eventually, I got back to my feet, surveying the area around me. At the far end of the roof appeared a being garbed in red, facing away from us. He was looking out over the city, barely even moving.

I didn't think - I didn't have to. Everything in this place thus far had required my axe...it mattered not that this man looked different from the ghosts below him, he required the same treatment. I started charging towards him, making no effort to conceal my location, not that my thunderous footsteps wouldn't give me away to the hard of hearing.

As my axe came crashing down above him he spun about, holding up a strange metal rod barely two inches thick. Still, the flimsy rod stopped my weapon dead in its tracks, bouncing off the metal like I'd tried to strike a wall. The voice that followed was the mellowed crooning of what appeared to be an elderly man.

"I see you have succumbed to the curse inside you, undead...I am not your enemy. Please, lower your weapon."

I staggered back from my attack, immediately complying. I dropped my weapon to my feet, as well as my shield. The man turned around, seeming to nod at my understanding. He wore a silver mask over his face that managed to completely hide his features from us, though it seemed that he had a way to see us through the metal mask.

"Good, it seems you are not completely lost. I have a way to grant you a curse similar to the one you have chosen to bear, though without any of the...insanity. Do you have a way to reverse the curse you now bear?"

Anastacia came up beside me, nodding. "They do." She turned to me, making a square symbol with her hands. "Do you remember the stone with a skull in it?"

I nodded...it sounded vaguely familiar. I rummaged around, eventually withdrawing it. Beside me, Resa held up her own, though we were both unsure what to do with it. Thankfully, the man continued on.

"I see you carried a Purging Stone with you...very insightful. Crush it with your bare hands, and it will expunge the curse from your body. Have no fear, you do not need the curse's powers while on this rooftop.

I clamped down on the stone as hard as I could, feeling the somehow brittle stone begin to crumble in my hands. It hadn't felt this weak earlier, when I'd received it...or perhaps it had, and I simply couldn't recognize it.

What followed felt like a sort of purification, of both mind and body. Strength immediately flooded my limbs, though in a way that was difficult to explain. It was as if I was being inflated, though there was no physical proof that it was happening. I just felt...whole. At the same time, I could feel my flesh restoring, the gnarled bruises of hollowing fading away beneath my armor. Though I couldn't see it to be certain, it was very easy to feel this happening...I must have looked revolting.

Finally, my mind was the last thing to return to me. Memories flooded back, of my home in Thorolund, to the Asylum, to everything we'd faced here in Lordran. It was dizzying at times, the sheer amount of information coming back to me completely overwhelming my senses...I was fairly certain I lost vision a time or two.

I was back...all of me. I'd only been cursed for what felt like a few fleeting moments, and yet it managed to feel like eternity. I turned to look at Resa, still standing next to me. Like mine, her face was now clean of the unsightly blemishes of hollowing, her blonde hair now exactly as I'd remembered it. She looked at me, a sense of relief on her features.

"Yes...you are cursed no more, undead. Now, let us have the conversation you came here to have. Why is it you have come to Ingward, the final Sealer of New Londo?"

"We seek the Four Kings. We seek to reunite the First Flame, and we have reason to believe that the Four Kings are here." Resa explained on, about Nito and the Witch of Izalith...as if she was validating that everything she was remembering was, in fact, true.

Ingward nodded along, eventually replying once she'd finished. "Yes, it seems you have collected a fair portion of the First Flame already. As you said, the Four Kings...they are here, beneath the water. I, and now I alone, carry the key to unlocking the seal that locks these waters in place. I have guarded these against countless undead, few of them ever retrieving the seal, even fewer turning what it guards. Explain to my why you are deserving of the Key to the Seal."

That...that was a good question. As the man finished speaking, he reached into the folds of his red robes, pulling out a rather impressive key about the size of his forearm. It was hewn from copper, which had now rusted green over the years. At the base of the key was a large decorative emblem that his hand currently obscured. Whatever it guarded was clearly important. "Tell my why you deserve to hold that which I guard."

"I...I don't know." Resa was the one to respond, her fists balled up in anger. Unfortunately, I didn't have a better answer...we needed the key, but there was no way we 'deserved' to have it."

The man nodded, though he still kept the key out in view of both of us. "Precisely. You aren't, none of you are...perhaps I'm not, either. It is for that reason, and that reason alone, that I give it to you. You understand the power that you hold in your hands, and the dangers that come with it. Beneath here...beneath the water, lurk the Darkwraiths. They are a terrible thing, the reason why New Londo was flooded. If you take this, and descend...you now know the dangers you face."

The man still continued, extending the key towards me. "As for the Four Kings, I do not know where you will find them, only that they now live in the Abyss. Do you have a way survive there? Few ever do...the utter blackness consumes them, starting with their mind."

Resa nodded, retrieving the small green band we'd found when we fought Sif in the Garden. The man immediately recognized it, nodding. "Yes...that will help you. Simply wear it, and it should fight back the insanities of the Abyss."

"Both of us?" I was curious...could only one of us enter the Abyss?"

For once, Ingward shrugged. "I have rarely seen two undead cooperate with each other like the two of you have. If you are, indeed, twinned souls, I suppose there is a chance its effects will extend to the other. However, I have no way to know for certain. Now please, take the key...do what you came here to do. Before you go, however…" He pulled out what looked like...hands. Extending one to each of us. "Crush these, and you will be able to fight the ghosts of this land without become cursed yourself. If you ever feel its powers waning...aim for their hands."

I accepted both the key and the hand, delivering the other to Resa. It was cold, clammy...and didn't feel like it was all there. My fingers continuously slipped through it, parts of it phasing in and out of existence while the majority remained intact. Without a second thought, I tucked it away, not wanting to even look at it any more than I needed to.

"You will find the turnstile ahead, behind a locked door which you can now open. Be careful, undead...there are dangerous powers beneath these waters."

"Thank you, Ingward." The three of us turned around, descending the ladder once more, eventually navigating our way towards the front gates of New Londo. A few ghosts blocked our path, but only a few...we simply avoided them, not wanting to use the resources we'd just gotten.

Out of the building again, I turned to Anastacia...one thing had become immediately clear to me once I'd rid myself of the curse, and I wanted to deal with it now, rather than later. "Why'd you stay...Anastacia, we talked about this."

I could see a look of sorry immediately overcome her, her head bowing towards the ground. "I know Flynn...I do. But you yourself asked me to stay with you and be your guide, and quite honestly...I didn't know if you'd be able to make it on your own. Plus, I, well...I've never been adventuring before."

Resa turned to me, momentarily lowering her guard due to the lack of enemies. "Flynn, what is this about?"

"I...we fought for so long to rescue her, through Blighttown, Sen's Fortress, Anor Londo...I'm worried about losing you, Anastacia. I don't know how I'd cope if I knew that I was the one that endangered you...again." I focused my attention on my sister, responding to the question. "Back when I wasn't...cursed, I asked her to remain safe in the tower. Now, she's not, and I'm...I'm worried."

"Flynn you can't just order some-"

Anastacia cut off my sister, stepping out between the two of us. "Resa, please, Flynn has every right to worry about my safety. Unlike the two of you, I am a complete foreigner to any sort of combat, and even seeing the two of you fight through these ghosts was quite invigorating...intriguing...I'm not quite sure what the word is that I'm looking for. If I were on my own, I'd never be able to venture here for fear of repeated deaths. That is why I was happy to accompany the two of you upon your request." She now turned to me, a slight smile in her features making itself known. "As for you...I can only imagine you have felt the hand of death several times, and you have shrugged it off just as often as it finds you. A single death will not be my end, perhaps even multiple deaths. As Ingward said, the foes we will face once we lower the water can be slain by any blade...I do not wish to fight them myself, but having a simple blade to defend myself would be helpful. If you wish me to return to the tower I will do so, but I would like an escort."

I shook my head, smiling beneath my armor. "No...please stay. I'm sorry if I made you feel trapped, it's just that Resa and I both have seen what this world has to offer...none of its denizens are friendly except for a few undead, nearly all of which we've invited back to Firelink Shrine. However, the sights have, at times, been quite fantastic, and are well worth the turmoil it took to get to them. I'll keep you safe, don't worry about that. You may not be able to carry my shield, but it will feel like it's always in front of you."

"However, you can carry my sword, if you wish for it." Resa extended the falchion she'd been carrying for some time now, rendered mostly obsolete due to the sword she'd acquired in Anor Londo. It carries divine strength within its steel, but if you simply need to guard with it, it should do the trick."

Anastacia gratefully took the weapon, holding it gingerly at her side. Resa helped her situate the sheath around her waist, the Firekeeper promptly stowing away the weapon. The look was odd...she had an extremely slight frame, one that didn't befit a sword. However, if the Darkwraiths were as powerful as Ingward made them out to be, every blade counted.

"I will do my best not to get in the way...thank you, both of you."

I pulled her in, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. "Among friends, nobody is ever in the way. Now come on, let's get away from the ghosts...I'd rather not deal with them right now."

"Agreed."

The three of us pressed forward, Anastacia safely tucked behind me but in front of Resa, the two of us ready to defend her at a moments notice. The path to our destination, a large tower flanking the even more massive door that held in the waters, was short, little more than a curved walkway towards the entrance to the tower. We safely arrived, finding ourselves at the base of a spiral staircase leading both ways. Downards seemed much more promising, a door with a heavy metal lock situated around the lock to prevent it from being opened. The center of the staircase was empty, stilled water filling the emptiness where a floor would be expected. I noticed several metal chains lining the inner walls of the stairs, disappearing into the ceiling above. I could only assume there was some mechanism to drop to the lower levels of Anor Londo, though we wouldn't be able to use it until after the water had been lowered.

As we reached the door I pulled out the key, holding it up to the lock and finding that it fit perfectly into place. I turned the hefty key, not stopping until the lock clicked open and promptly fell to the floor. The door swung open slightly of its own accord, as if beckoning us forward.

Gently, I pushed it open, finding a simple overlook on the other side. Most of the space was dominated by the turnstile situated against the back wall, the lever sticking out at an awkward height that made bypassing it difficult.

We'd come this far...deliberation wasn't necessary. I leaned into the lever, finding it incredibly stiff and rusted from age, putting all my weight into forcing it forward. As soon as it moved, I could see a crack in the door open up, light beginning to pour in from outside. At the same time, the lever jerked out from my grasp, the water that began pouring through the tiny slit in the door forcing it open wider and wider, the lever moving in turn. Both doors crashed against the outer walls, the massive hole allowing an unthinkable amount of water through it each second. The women funneled through the door, watching as the water level began to visibly fall, the water-deluged city returning to its prior state after countless years of being submerged.

Once it was at the bottom, I immediately saw what Ingward had warned us about...the Darkwraiths. Only one of them was visible from this angle, but there was no mistaking the figure that lurked in the hills beyond. It wore a hood of pitch black cloth, but that was far from its most fearsome attribute. Beneath that, it appeared to be a skeleton, but I could tell from our time in the Catacombs that that wasn't quite accurate. No, it wore a skeleton...its face was covered by a skull, its chest was surrounded by a ribcage, and the rest of its body was clad in bony plates, some of them appearing to be ripped directly from a skeleton, others requiring slightly more...finesse. Whatever the case, to don armor like that required a mentality I didn't want to think about. If we wanted to get to the Four Kings, however...we would have to get through them.

I turned back around to face the women...I could tell Anastacia wasn't thrilled about what was to come. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her towards my chest with her back to me. "You'll be safe...don't worry. He might be strong, but we've defeated stronger."

She nodded, spinning around to face me. "I...I think I'll stay up here, and follow when it's safe. I thought I was ready for this, but seeing the Darkwraith...I'm not."

Behind her, Resa seemed to have expected this. "Nothing will reach you up here. Once it's safe, we'll call for you if you want to follow. Okay?"

Anastacia nodded her understanding, unwinding around my arms to come to rest against the walls of the platform we now stood on. "I'll cheer you on from up here. Now go get 'em." She tossed us a thumbs-up on our way out the door, which she closed behind us for an added layer of protection.

Outside, the center of the spiral staircase was now an empty abyss, the supposed floor below shrouded by darkness out of sheer distance. A lever seemed to have been revealed with the lowered water level...it had to be connected with the chains. I continued down the staircase towards it, pulling on it. Promptly, the chains started to rattle, climbing into the ceiling at an ever-increasing rate. Eventually, I could see a platform rising up from the depths, extremely similar to the one we'd used to get into New Londo. Once it came to rest at the same level as the door, Resa and I both climbed aboard, stepping on the raised circle in the center to send it back down to the ground floor.

As it came to a stop, a singular empty doorway was our only way out, leading to the base of the New Londo ruins. I stepped out first, leading the way for Resa behind me. Despite being flooded with water for countless years, and just recently having that water come pouring out, the lower areas seemed to be surprisingly intact. They had a much different feel to them, a few wooden buildings standing apart from the towering stone structures that surrounded them, with a few low walls lining the major paths, of which only one seemed to go anywhere, namely towards the Darkwraith. To our right, however, light poured in from outside...though it seemed that creatures had been waiting to enter. I wasn't sure if I was willing to call them full-fledged dragons, but I could certainly classify them as drakes. There were three of them outside, each one clearly recently doused with water, none of them particularly happy about what had just happened. At the sight of the two of us they came charging in, the blue beasts taking to the air and swooping towards us, gouts of lightning flying from their maws.

I had almost forgotten what fighting felt like...everything that had happened while I was cursed all felt like a feverish dream, somehow disconnected from my time before I'd been cursed. There wasn't much I could do to the dragons from up here, however, simply having to hide behind my shield as they rained lightning down on us from above. Resa, however, returned fire whenever possible, hurling lightning spears at them as she ducked in and out of cover, weaving her spears between rolls and dodges. Unfortunately, however, they seemed to shrug off the blows, likely due to their own clear affinity for lightning. We were pinned, with little means of retaliation.

After several minutes of this, I had had enough...they weren't going to come down unless we forced them to. I dropped my shield as my hand lit up in crimson fire, a braid of smouldering flames falling against the ground. Steam rose up from below, the remaining water on the ground instantaneously superheated as I willed the braid longer and longer...it needed to reach. Had I been stronger, I certainly could have summoned enough length from the Chaos Whip to reach them, but as was, I would have to get fairly close.

I dashed forward, predicting the arc that they flew in, finding myself directly underneath one of them as it flew around us. I threw my hand upward, the braid practically hungry for flesh as it flew forward, coming to wrap around the drake's wing. I yanked downwards, sending the beast plummeting to the ground. As it fell, I readied my axe, slamming the head against its wing as soon as the drake hit the wet floor. It cried out in pain as I continued hacking, now going for the other wing, rendering it incapable of returning to the air. However, I'd left my shield behind, meaning that the ensuing spray of lightning that came from its mouth hit me unabated. I staggered backwards, every muscle in my body going rigid and stiff, struggling to stay up for a couple seconds as the drake recovered. It didn't even bother trying to fly...it knew it couldn't.

Its friends, however, could, and they were more than happy to continue barraging us from a distance. I had to return to my shield before engaging the downed drake, the lightning that rained down from above escalating from a nuisance to a hazard now that it wasn't the only threat. I rushed back to the drake, slamming my shield against it, swinging my axe from around the edges to safely engage it.

I was too engrossed in the heat of battle to hear Anastacia yelling...it was only when there was a lull in the fight between that I could hear her. I looked up, seeing her pointing off in the distance, a look of growing horror dominating her face.

I ignored the drake, spinning around, finding myself face to face with the Darkwraith. The emotionless skull stared back at me, burning red eyes deep within glaring at me. It was significantly taller, at least by a head or so, gripping a fairly sizeable sword in one hand. I immediately held up my shield as a lightning-fast attack came from overhead, and then another, and then another, the Darkwraith attacking faster than I could have possibly predicted. I held my own, eventually finding an opening, retracting my shield as I lunged forward to strike.

For as bizarre as the rest of the Darkwraith was, what came next surpassed it all by far. It held up its off hand, which I had originally thought to be empty...I still wasn't convinced it wasn't. Potent magical energy seemed to wreath around it, blacks and reds forming sharp claws in a glove-like fashion. As the Darkwraith held this hand up, however, they all dispersed, forming a flat ovular shape in front of it. As my axe hit this, it felt as hard as iron, my blade bouncing off of the outlandish object harmlessly.

I was completely exposed. I knew it, and the Darkwraith knew it. It was as if it had expected this to happen, its sword already mid-thrust, aimed right for my exposed stomach. I felt the blade bore straight through me, my legs going weak as life fleed my body. I tried to fight back, wrenching myself off of the blade, but the Darkwraith simply wedged it deeper, turning it inside me to drill a wider and wider hole in my midsection.

I fell to my knees, my vision already fading. The last thing I heard before I died was it speaking, grating, violent tones that would haunt my mind for ages.

"Kaathe will find you."


	28. Chapter 28

**Flynn**

 **SL71 - 28 VIT - 23 ATT - 23 END - 36 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL71 - 23 VIT - 23 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 26 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 35 FTH**

 **Resa**

For a moment, I tried to piece together exactly what had happened...I had just been fighting one of the few drakes that had ambushed us in New Londo one moment ago, and yet now I was seated by the Firelink Shrine bonfire. It only took a second to put the pieces together...Flynn's panicking form next to me being the first clue. He'd been struck down, that much was certain. However, it seemed like Anastacia was alive...at least for now. However, she was almost completely defenseless on her own, which Flynn had clearly picked up on.

"We've got to go. Now." Flynn was up before I'd even come to my senses, shield and axe in hand and moving towards the entrance of New Londo. "I can't leave her out there alone. I can't."

"I'm coming brother. We'll get to her in time." I could tell he was panicked, the way he clumsily darted towards the platform that took us to New Londo, trying to move faster than his bulky armor would allow. He was worried about her, and wouldn't be at ease until she was safe. I chased after him, finally catching up as he was forced to wait for the platform to rise up once again...I could tell he was frustrated. Not at the elevator, for having to move. No, he was frustrated at himself for dying, and leaving Anastacia vulnerable.

"Flynn. She'll be safe. Worst case scenario she hides in the tower until we get there. The drakes can't reach her from in there, and if she raises the platform, nothing can get to her from below. Don't charge in hastily and get yourself killed again. That'll only slow things down."

He nodded, tapping his foot idly while we both waited. "I know, Resa...I know. I just...I'm worried. Last time it was my fault she got taken, and now - "

"Now it won't be your fault, because we'll get to her before anything else can. Working yourself up like this isn't going to help anyone."

"Okay sister, I get it. Still, let's not waste time." At that moment, the platform began reaching its peak, the chains beginning to audibly slow down. Flynn didn't waste any time, stepping off into the chamber before it'd even reached the top, his armor crashing against the floor a moment later. I waited until it had come to a complete halt, boarding promptly. As soon as I did so, the raised button in the center rose up, which I stepped on, causing the entire contraption to start descending.

The trip down was filled with silence...I knew nothing I could say would change his mind, and I didn't bother. Personally, I was more worried about the ghosts we were about to encounter. The entire time I was cursed now felt like a haze...I couldn't remember fighting any of them in particular. We each had the one hand Ingward had given us, though he didn't say anything about how long it would last...or what the side effects would be. As little as I wanted to encourage Flynn's current behavior, perhaps rushing through everything would be for my own benefit as well. If this fake curse was even a fragment as horrible as the real one was, I wanted as little to do with it as possible.

Once the platform came to a stop at the bottom we were both on our way. I managed to stay astride Flynn, but it was tough...I could tell he was pushing his body to its limits. Once we hit the wooden bridge that led to New Londo proper, however, he finally slowed down. Almost at the same time, we both reached for the hands Ingward had given us, tentatively clutching the odd object in our own hands.

"Alright brother. I'll follow your lead...please don't make me regret it. If I start going crazy from this, though...please do something about it."

He paused, holding my empty hand with his. "Sister...as much as I'm worried about Anastacia right now, you are always my top priority. We've been through too much together for that to not be the case."

Sometimes, I couldn't help but smile, no matter how hard I tried to stifle it...not that I ever needed to. "You're too good to me, Flynn. Now come on, let's save your girl." I gripped the ghost's hand tighter, squishing it until I felt it burst beneath my gauntlets.

I was almost immediately hit by a have of nausea, a sickening sensation welling in the pit of my stomach. For a moment, I thought I was going to vomit...though I hadn't eaten anything since I'd gotten to Lordran. Slowly, however, the sensation began to dwindle, though I still felt a slight amount of uneasiness, like my sense of balance wasn't quite what it use to be. However, from what I could remember about being cursed...I'd gladly take this any day.

I took one step forward, half stumbling as I got use to whatever had just happened. It was clear Flynn was dealing with the same issues, his armor clumsily lurching forward, his knee bumping into the back of his shield. Though it wasn't enjoyable for me, watching him stumble about was...somewhat comical. I suppressed a laugh...now wasn't the time.

Eventually we both settled into something akin to a jog, though I could almost guarantee we looked like drunken fools from a distance. We made our way across the bridge eventually, however, coming to reach the ghosts on the far side.

I knew Flynn wouldn't hesitate for a moment, and I didn't plan to as well. Before they even had time to react, one of them had already been struck by a spear, bursting almost instantaneously. Another was felled by Flynn's axe a second later, unable to put up any sort of resistance against my brother's might. Once it was clear, we kept going, ascending the stairway that led to the first building. At the top, two more ghosts blocked our path...but not for long. We pressed on, crossing the short path that led to the building. On our left was an empty shaft...one I hadn't noticed before, likely due to everything else that had been going on while I was cursed. Next to it was a lever...it was clearly a shaft similar to the ones we'd used before. The question was, would it take us to where we needed to go.

Unfortunately, Flynn never gave me much of a chance to consider the matter, barging ahead without so much as glancing at it, taking the staircase at the end of the room. In reality, he probably never saw it, and certainly never saw me stop to look at it since I was behind him. I let out a sigh but kept following him, breaking out into a jog as I caught back up to him, barely managing to keep myself upright as I descended the stairs.

By the time I was side-by-side with him again we were on the catwalks approaching the second notable building, the one where we met Ingward. Like before, Flynn and I easily dispatched the ghosts that seemed to be guarding the way, continuing on down the path towards Anastacia. The path to the second building was the first chance we got to see what the situation was...I was actually a bit surprised. Usually, after dying and coming back, everything was as if we'd never been here, save for opened doors or other environmental changes. All the creatures seemed to be milling about as if we'd never been there, and all seemed to be in peak condition. This certainly wasn't the case this time, perhaps because Anastacia was still present to...I didn't want to try and wrap my head around it. Whatever the case, the drake that Flynn had wounded was still very much crippled, unable to get off of the ground due to how much damage it had sustained. The other two, however, were circling about the tower we'd left Anastacia in, attacking the door. If she'd survived this long, I could only assume she'd found a way to avoid their attacks, but there was no guarantee that this would still be the case.

There was another entity around on the ground, a man garbed in skull clothing. I didn't recognize him, but based on the blood coating his blade, I could only assume Flynn had met him...and been slain by him. The man barely looked injured from a cursory glance at this distance...I didn't want to know just what we were up against.

Flynn called out as he ran towards the building. "Anastacia, we're coming!" His footsteps grew even louder as he rushed into the doorway, ignoring the ghosts that had started to chase them. A few quick slashes from my blade was all it took to dispatch them, following after my ever-reckless brother in his mad dash back to Anastacia.

As I entered the building, I was troubled by the lack of a response. Perhaps she didn't want to give up her location to the drakes, but I couldn't help that think perhaps we were too late…I pushed the thought out of my mind immediately. I couldn't keep Flynn in check if I was having doubts myself.

Flynn obliterated the ghosts lining the hallway, simply holding his shield up and barreling forwards, giving them no chance to escape. He blew past the exit at the end of the hall to smash his shield against the far wall, the two he'd caught in his charge fading instantly. He wheeled around, taking the few steps necessary to get back to the far doorway. It gave me a chance to catch up, trailing right behind him as we both exited the building.

I was starting to get worried...she still hadn't responded to us. I called out, praying that she would respond. "Anastacia?"

From the top of the tower we were rushing towards, two drakes' heads turned directly towards me, diverted from their potential prey at the sound of their new target...or perhaps they remembered us from when we were just here. I settled on the latter as one let out an ear piercing scream, diving straight towards me in a brilliant display of speed. I rolled to the side, letting the dragon careen into the wall right behind me.

I was on my feet far before it had fully recovered, giving me the chance to lash back, my divine weapon ripping through its tough scales with ease. I turned back to Flynn, ripping my blade free from the drake. "Get to her. I'll handle this."

"Resa, I - "

"Go! She's everything to you." I turned back towards my target, barely dodging out of the way as it tried to bite me, the smell of lightning hitting me as its head retracted. At the same time, the other one came down, wings unfurling as a blast of lightning flew from its mouth that I had no choice but to take. My entire body went rigid for a second as the lightning worked its way through me, its ally taking the free opportunity to attack again, its jagged teeth clamping down on my sword arm.

I couldn't fight back, not if I wanted to. It seemed intelligent enough to know that letting go would be less effective than simply keeping my arm hostage, clamping down harder and harder as it crushed my armor, some teeth slipping through to rip against my skin. Frantically searching for a way out, I dropped my shield, straining my left arm around my body to reach for my talisman. I always had a way out so long as I had this. After grabbing it, I brought my arms together, moreso bringing my body to my arm, and forming the familiar shell of energy around me that I'd used several times now.

The beast was smart, but it had no way to predict just what I had prepared. Just as the second one flew down to attack, I unleashed the bubble, a wave of force radiating outwards from my core. Both drakes were knocked back, the first one slamming into the wall behind it as it had no choice but to let go of my arm, taking a chunk of me with it as it did so. The second one was knocked out into open air, its body momentarily stunned as it began to plummet towards the ground.

While I was still holding the talisman, I cast another miracle on myself, hoping to mend some of the damage done to my arm. In the meantime, however, I still fought with it, striking at the one drake that had stayed on the walkway. I could feel that my attacks weren't cutting quite as deep as they use to be, but growing stronger as I felt my divine powers working on my body.

The dragon eventually got back to its feet, rearing back as it opened its maw, sparks of electricity dancing about in the back of its throat. I had just enough time to react, ducking underneath it as a jet of lightning passed just over my head. Now was the time...it was vulnerable. I jabbed my sword upwards, feeling it slip straight through the defenseless underside of its neck, only feeling a slight resistance as I pushed through its skull. Lightning spewed everywhere, some of it making its way through the hole I'd made with my sword, but most leaving its mouth in a rather undirected stream.

I see it fading away, its body dissolving into souls right before my eyes. At the same moment, I heard the beating of wings coming from behind me, its ally finally recovering from its fall only to find that it was on its own. I was now mostly recovered, so I took the break in action to grab my shield from the ground, positioning my talisman safely on my waste where it belonged. Now that I was ready, I took a glance towards the tower to check on Flynn.

I was glad I did...I could see Anastacia clinging tightly to his side, hiding behind him as he stepped out towards the outlook, a swelling braid of fire in his hand. Only a second later, and the whip raced towards its target akin to a snake attacking a mouse. The whip coiled around the dragon's wing, keeping it from flying as Flynn yanked backwards, sending it crashing into the base of the wall. The whip severed, and yet left it exposed...I knew that its scales seemed to absorb my lightning spears, but the rest of it was uncharted territory. Experimentally, I reached for my talisman, hurling one towards its belly.

Perfect. The dragon convulsed for a second, clearly affected by my attack. I threw one more, then another, and then finally a third one that did it in, its body turning into souls. With the coast clear except for the enemies stuck below is, I rushed towards the tower to check on Anastacia. I raced up the stairs, emerging out onto the balcony where we'd opened the doors earlier.

Anastacia was...battered was one way to put it. Her clothes were clearly shredded, I could only assume from the dragons we'd just taken out. Blood soaked through her clothing, red splotches all around her. She'd been through hell...I could tell by the way her body quivered even as she stood here, no possibility of danger anywhere to be seen.

I stopped as soon as I laid eyes on her, pulling out my talisman to cast the strongest healing miracle I could, the one I'd acquired from Rhea not long ago. Once the benefits were cast, I kept walking up to her, my old falchion quivering in Anastacia's hand.

"Take it. Please take it. I tried to use it...I can't use it. I'm not ready to use it. Please, just take it." She pointed the tip of the blade at me, realizing it a moment later and turning it around to put the hilt facing me.

"Okay Anastacia...I will." She was troubled, traumatized...scarred in multiple senses of the word. I took the sword from her, trying to hide as much of it as I could behind me. The less she saw of it, likely the better of she'd be."

Flynn kept her held close, her shaking form returning to hug his leg. He sunk to the ground, letting her move to his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. "The drakes got to her, in case you couldn't tell. She retreated, but they didn't let up. Let's just take a break here for a moment or two, and give everyone a chance to relax...I could use it as well.

I nodded, shucking my armaments as I took a seat across from the two of them, leaning against the back of the open doorway...Flynn might be able to talk the talk, but I could tell just from looking at him now that what he said earlier couldn't be further from the truth. The way she clung to him now, and the way he comforted her...if it can down between me and Anastacia, I knew which one he'd want to save. He might feel obligated to go for me first, but his heart was with her. I wasn't troubled by this, not in the slightest. Rather...pleased might be the word that came to mind. To know that he had someone that he cared so deeply about besides me actually brought a smile to my face...he'd never felt emotions like this back in Thorolund. He was always so preoccupied with his duties guarding that he rarely had the chance to think about love or anything related to it. And yet here, in Lordran, in the middle of this absurd quest we'd gotten ourselves wrapped up in...clearly he'd found it.

I sat back, closing my eyes...for the first time since I'd been here, I didn't feel the need for a bonfire in order to be able to sit back and relax. Right now, seeing the two of them together like this...it was all I could ask for.

* * *

Eventually, I was roused from my slumber, the feeling of Flynn rocking my shoulder jarring me from the light slumber I'd fallen into. I wasn't even tired, just exhausted...we'd been at this for so long with barely any breaks. My eyes fluttered open, coming to rest on the duo across from me. Anastacia had clearly calmed down quite a bit since I'd last seen her, her form silent and serene next to Flynn. There was a slight upturn in the corners of her mouth, a resting smile from being so close to him. I couldn't help but look the same.

"Alright, are you ready to leave?"

I nodded, looking towards Anastacia. "I am. And you?"

"I'll stay here, out of sight. I trust the two of you...just stay safe. If you don't have the chance to come back for me, Flynn said you cleared a way back to Firelink Shrine. I will meet you there if I don't see you again soon."

"Okay. Are you sure you don't want something to protect yourself?" I kept my falchion hidden just in case any traumatic memories might emerge, but I didn't want to leave her completely defenseless up here unless she was still horrified at the thought of holding a weapon."

She shook her head, but at least not violently. "I'd rather not...I don't think I could swing it if I ever needed to."

"Alright...I'll leave it on the other side of the door, just in case you need it or change your mind. Stay safe up here, Anastacia."

"I will, Resa. Thank you."

Flynn gave her one final hug before separating, the two of us walking back into the tower. Like I'd told her, I rested the falchion on the other side of the doorway, just out of sight, but still very much accessible if it was ever needed. With that out of the way, the two of us descended to the ground floor once again, returning to where we'd been not too long ago.

"Be wary of the Darkwraiths...they have a shield, but it's...it's made of force. You can't see it coming. That's what got me."

I nodded, preparing myself for what was to come. There was still one more drake left, the one Flynn had injured last time we were here. However, knowing my brother, I knew he'd want his revenge on the Darkwraith before anything else. That left me with the drake...now that it was downed, it shouldn't be able to put up much of a fight.

As soon as I cleared the door Flynn brushed past me, charging straight for the Darkwraith. Now that Anastacia was saved, I was far less worried...he wasn't putting himself in needless danger in order to save her, he was just back to being plain old Flynn...putting himself in needless danger just to see if he could survive it. I had faith in him though, at least this time. The Darkwraith had caught him off guard before, but so long as it didn't have any other tricks up its bony gauntlets, Flynn would come out on top.

I engaged the downed drake, fangs bared as a barrage of lightning raced towards me. Nimbly, I dodged out of the way, getting back on my feet and charging towards it while it was exposed. My blade pierced its scales, cleaving a line down its side before it could turn to counterattack. The best it could do was to unfurl its wing, pushing me slightly backwards, but not enough to knock me on my feet. I countered, ducking under the wing, allowing my sword to connect with where it met its body. In one flash of holy light, the wing fell limp to the ground, my sword following up as it plunged into its side.

During my brief moment of respite, I turned to look towards Flynn and the Darkwraith. He was holding his own, hiding behind his shield far more than I was use to, striking back only when the Darkwraith seemed vulnerable. I could see what he was talking about...an odd wall of reddish-black force emanated from its hand, Flynn's axe bouncing off of it like it was a solid object. I had no clue what it was, but at least I was aware of its existence now.

I redoubled my efforts back on the drake, leaping over its body to avoid a bite that was aimed at my midsection. On the other side, I plunged my sword through its scales, giving one final wrench to the side that left a sizable tear in the drake's flesh. That was finally enough, the drake falling limp to the ground for only a second before it dissipated beneath my blade.

I advanced behind the Darkwraith, doing my best not to be noticed. Flynn easily spotted me coming, doing his part to keep the Darkwraith occupied and facing away from me to aid in the element of surprise. Once I was only a few steps away from it, I broke out into a mad charge, hoping to take it by force before it had a chance to react.

Unfortunately...it didn't work. One step in and the demonic being spun about, illusory shield coming into existence just in time to bash it against the side of my head. I tumbled to the ground out of surprise, having to roll out of the way to avoid a sword plowing straight through my stomach. I kept rolling, avoiding several more attempts at my life until eventually Flynn caught its attention, the sound of a shield slamming into my assailant being music to my ears. I took the opportunity to quickly leap to my feet, taking a few steps back to reassess the situation. These weren't the mindless undead we were use to seeing...not at all. This was a calculated killer that would fight to stay alive just as hard as we would...perhaps harder.

Now that I was back on my feet, I wouldn't underestimate the Darkwraith a second time. It pushed away from Flynn, the three of us forming a triangle with each other, nobody wanting to be the first to act...until the Darkwraith did. It lunged towards me with a speed much faster than the cumbersome armor suggested, my reaction time nowhere near fast enough to escape unscathed. Its blade sliced into my shoulder, followed by a shove that sent me stumbling away. I spun about, trying to get something from my losses, but only barely nicked its armor with my sword before the Darkwraith was too far out of reach.

It redirected towards Flynn next, pivoting instantly and redirecting towards my brother. He was prepared, low to the ground and bracing with his shield. Still, the Darkwraith managed to shove him quite a bit backwards, dexterity and strength melded into one being hellbent on making sure we never came back.

I grabbed my talisman, firing a lightning spear at it. If keeping close wasn't doing the trick, perhaps staying back would. The first one hit it square in the shoulder, actually eliciting a sense of surprise as it turned to face me, only to have the second spear hit it directly in the face.

This was Flynn's chance to strike, and he took it perfectly. Before the Darkwraith knew what was upon it, Flynn's axe had lodged itself in his shoulder, ripping a gout of black blood from it as he retracted the heavy blade, the Darkwraith staggering back from the blow. I dashed in as a follow-up, ramming my blade into its back, holy power surging through the weapon to deliver to the target. We kept at it, the two of us working in perfect tandem to take it down through a series of repeated, unrelenting strikes.

Flynn turned back towards the tower, finding Anastacia peeking over the edge, watching us. At the sight of the fallen Darkwraith she held up her hand, giving us a thumbs up, we both returned the gesture, turning back towards our destination. We walked towards the lower levels of the first building we'd been in, one that had the lower levels still flooded with water.

As we walked, Flynn spoke up. "The Darkwraith mentioned a name last time...I believe it was Kaathe. It said Kaathe would find us. Is that a name you've heard before?"

I shook my head, stopping as we approached the doorway. "Can't say I have. I'd be cautious, though...if Kaathe has sent these Darkwraiths to find us, then it's no small matter. We must be wanted...bad. We barely managed to take down one of them. If more are after us, that can't bode well."

Flynn nodded, approaching the door and pushing against the handle. Oddly enough, it turned, but didn't seem to move forward. He paused, confused for a moment. "It's not locked, and it's not barred...something else must be blocking it from the other side."

"Like?"

"Only one way to find out." He rammed into it again, managing to force the door just barely, a pressurized jet of water forcing itself through the small crack that was made. That would explain it...the lower floors didn't have a way to drain as it was. Flynn held tight against the door, slowly able to force it more and more open as the water level began dropping, right up until a familiar sword lodged itself in the wooden doorway, narrowly missing Flynn. He retracted, assuming a combat position, the both of us watching as the sword retracted from the door, only to stab it again a moment later.

I held my hand out, signalling for Flynn to move closer as I reached for my talisman. "If this works the way I think it will...we can use this to our advantage."

"And how's that?"

I raised my talisman, forming a spear of lightning in my hands. "We know this works on metal...I'm willing to bet it works on water pretty well, too. I'm willing to bet even more that it'll go from metal to water that much better. Mind giving me an access point?"

The gears started to turn, Flynn quickly coming to understand just what my plan was. He leaned back, swinging his axe back over his shoulder, twisting instantly to slam it into the door as hard as he could, as low to the ground as he could manage. As soon as it wedged its way into the door, I went into action, launching the spear towards the hilt of its axe.

A brief flash of light burst through the current holes in the door, the Darkwraith sword halfway embedded in the door ceasing any further movement. The water coursed with electricity for a few seconds, eventually dying down after the damage had been done. Flynn went back to pushing on the door, venting the water until eventually we could get through.

On the other side...a complete wreck. Wood was thrown everywhere, nothing left standing inside the building. Among the mess was a single wooden chest, the top of which had been bashed in. By the looks of things, it appeared to have fallen from up above, perhaps the second floor...I certainly hadn't seen anything like this on the third floor. Flynn walked over to it, wrenching the busted lid open, pulling out what appeared to be another ember. A brilliantly bright flame danced about inside the stone box, far more powerful than even the stronger of the two divine embers we'd found so far. Whatever it was, it was clear that Andre would want to know about it. Flynn stowed it away for later, moving to the far end of the room and opening up the opposing door. It led out to a shallow pool of water, deep enough to make movement a hassle, but not too much as to force swimming. As we were about halfway across the pool, yet another Darkwraith came walking towards us, beginning to wade through the water with almost no resistance at all. How it managed it, I wasn't quite sure...and we'd only just barely beaten the first one when we were on even footing.

It approached me first, being in front, its blade coming down swift and heavy towards me. I ducked, hearing the swing of the blade from above, rolling and splashing out of the way as the second swing came down the opposite direction. The sword slammed into the water without so much as a drop of disturbance...it was as if the Darkwraith simply ignored the presence of the water altogether. At this point, I simply took it for granted...I'd learned not to try and make sense of everything in Lordran long ago.

From my position low to the ground I sprung forward, trying to get a surprise strike on it, but only managing to ram into the illusory shield yet again. This close to it, I could see it was coming from his hand, which was wreathed in blackish-red...fire? Fire didn't seem quite how I wanted to describe it, but it had similar traits. What I didn't expect, however, was for the shield to go away, the hand dropping down and reaching through my armor, into my chest.

My entire body tensed up, every muscle fiber going rigid as it felt like my very life force began to get sucked out of my body, travelling towards the Darkwraith staring me down. I looked at my chest, finding black energy flowing out of me, wrapping around the Darkwraith's red hand which began growing more vibrant with each passing second. The pain was unlike anything I'd experienced before...it wasn't the same as being cut by a blade. It felt as if my very soul was being crushed, becoming a shadow of what it once was.

That was, until Flynn lunged forward, his axe lopping of the Darkwraith's hand, leaving wrist and below still trapped inside my body. Weak, I fell down onto the ground, still feeling my essence being sucked out of my chest, now only to start flowing erratically in the space around the three of us.

* * *

I wasn't quite sure what happened after that...I blacked out to the sound of axe striking blade repeatedly, finally waking up by the feel of Flynn shaking me violently. I felt sore, groggy...and barely alive.

"What...what happened?" I felt weak, impossibly so, but also...empty. As if something in me was missing, something...warm.

"The Darkwraith was stealing your humanity...you don't look so good."

I pried my eyes open, finding myself face-to-face with Flynn's shield. Oh gods, he was right. I looked horrible, almost as bad as the hollows we'd seen everywhere. In his other hand, however, was a sole humanity...I hadn't seen him grab any since we'd been to Quelaana, but I wasn't about to argue. "Take it. You need it."

I reached out for the flickering black sprite, finding my bones barely able to move the armor I wore. Still, I eventually reached it, gingerly holding it in both hands. I clasped down, feeling it squirm in my hand for only a moment before it burst.

Life flowed back through me, filling my muscles and lungs with a renewed life, one that I had mere moments ago. I gasped, choking on the water that had filled my lungs while I was down, Flynn swooping down to hold me steady while I adjusted to life again.

"Let's...let's not allow that to happen again. Ever." I brought myself to one knee, eventually getting back to my feet as the last of the humanity sprite ran its course. "It's capable of stealing our humanity directly from us. Whoever this 'Kaathe' is...I don't think he cares if we're not hollow."

Flynn nodded, finding me my belongings. "Agreed. Hopefully we're soon to leave this damnable place. I don't plan on ever coming back. Let's just get this over with."

We kept forward, wading through the rest of the waters, leaving them on the other side. We came face-to-face with the second large building, the one Ingward still stood upon. From here, however, several stories were now revealed from beneath the water's surface, the front entrance waiting for us, along with everything inside. There was something besides the Darkwraiths in there, right at the front entrance...I couldn't exactly make out what it was from this angle, but from the deformed, amorphous blob of bodies that it looked to be, I wanted as little to do with it as possible. Still, it seemed like there was no other place to go...except there.

I entered behind Flynn, both of us hiding behind his massive shield as we approached this new entity. It, indeed, seemed to be a mass of fading bodies, the empty husks of hollows piled into one terrifying undead entity. To complicate matters, it wasn't alone, clearly evident by the two Darkwraiths that began advancing towards us.

Flynn advanced, turning back to me. "I'll stall these two. You take out whatever this is." Any further communication ceased as the first Darkwraith was upon him, a flurry of quick blows beating down his shield, trying to get to the man behind it. It seemed like the second one was also headed towards him, giving me free reign on...whatever this was. It seemed to have a vague face-like shape consisting of two eyes and a mouth, turning to stare back at me as I circled around it. The mouth opened, a massive spear protruding from it, catching me off guard and slicing at my arm before I even knew what had hit me.

If it wanted to fight, I'd fight back. I dove in close, ducking below the mouth, stabbing it with my blade several times in quick succession. While the wound did hurt, from right here, there was nothing it could do to get me. The spear came out one more time, only managing to tap me on the back rather than do any serious damage. It was vulnerable, and I had full intentions of exploiting that weakness.

That was, until I felt something else on my back...definitely not the spear. It seemed to be a part of it, an ooze that started spreading around me, swallowing up my midsection and extending to my limbs, turning my entire body immensely sluggish. At the same time, it felt as if it was slipping through my armor, eating at the flesh beneath it slowly but steadily. My strikes immediately slowed, unable to push through the slime coating me, trapped between the armor and my skin. I didn't want to think about what I must have looked like...it must have been revolting.

I reached for my talisman, hoping to find a way out, managing to get skewered by the spear due to my inability to avoid it. Still, talisman in hand, I crossed my arms, feeling the familiar shell of energy form around me, blasting it back as the wall of force radiated in all directions. While this did a fantastic job of staggering the foe in front of me, it also blasted the slime off of my body, spraying it around the room in the process. Satisfied, I took a quick drink from my Estus flask to tend to my injuries, only then reaching for my blade and returning to the mass of undead in front of me.

It seemed like that had been its trump card...without it, there was little it could do to find against my flurry of attacks. I hacked at it, only a few more strikes left before it shrunk into the ground, fading away. With that gone, I turned my attention back to Flynn, still hiding behind his shield as blow after blow rained down from the Darkwraiths. Though they both seemed to be intently focused on him, I knew better than to assume that they weren't aware of my presence. To take two of them down at once, sheer strength wouldn't be enough.

I advanced behind one, stowing my shield for the time being in order to have my talisman in my off-hand, approaching one of the two Darkwraiths with my sword poised to strike. My left hand formed a lightning spear, keeping it ready to lob at a moment's notice. Once I was within striking distance, I lunged towards the Darkwraith.

It took the bait. It turned around, shield springing up to block my sword, unable to deal with the lighting spear that I threw underhanded, striking its torso directly. It staggered backwards, Flynn's axe coming down heavily, directly into its skull. The Darkwraith sunk to its knees, not quite down yet, but headed there quickly. Flynn freed his axe as the other foe tried to catch him off guard, leaving me to deal with the weakened one. I circled around before it had a chance to recover, taking my foot to the back of its head, knocking it to the floor. From there, several quick strikes from my blade were all that it took in order to end its existence.

The second Darkwraith seemed to have something peculiar on its back...Flynn likely hadn't seen it yet, but I'm sure it would make him ecstatic when he did. It appeared to be a massive slab of titanite, roughly the same dimensions as the white one Flynn had found in the Tomb of the Giants, although this one appeared to be the standard color Flynn used on his weapons. Given the ember we'd just found...I'm sure Flynn was due for some improvements in the near future. While it did seem to slow the Darkwraith down givin the weight on its back, it also reduced the angles where we could attack it. With the two of us on it together, though, it stood no chance. Once I was freed up, Flynn lunged forward, slamming his shield into the Darkwraith, sending it staggering backwards. From behind I ducked down, taking a low swipe with my sword that caught its ankles, sending it toppling over onto its back. Now, it was the one desperately trying to roll out of the way, but struggling to do so because of the slab on its back. Flynn got one good hit with his axe on it, and then another and another...there was little it could do besides hold up its shield, but even then Flynn still did his best to smash through it.

As it faded away, the slab remained. Flynn looked at me, and I gave him a nod. "It's all yours, brother. I've already made good use of the one you gave me."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't expect me to let you have this one as well...especially since you don't have much need for it. Still, down here, I can't say I'll feel comfortable carrying this on my back right now. There's got to be some way we can get this back to a bonfire for storage."

I pondered for a second, looking out the far door of the building. In the distance was the tower, and the gaping door to the outside. "Anastacia isn't far away. She probably can't carry it on her own, but she can push it to the elevator and keep it safe there. We can come back for it later."

Flynn nodded. "The way back is clear. Give me a moment, and I'll get it to her."

And so he did, lifting the impossibly heavy slab of titanite, walking back out through the front doors of the building towards the pool of water. I went out the rear door, following the short path forwards, finding what appeared to be a broken tower directly in front of me, a crumbling dome atop it . This, as opposed to everything else, had been completely submerged. I advanced it cautiously, taking a look inside the structure.

Darkness...darkness and spiral staircases. That was all I could see, a stone staircase spiraling downwards into unending darkness. This must be it...this must be the Abyss. I remembered what Ingward had said, that we needed the ring we'd acquired from Sif in order to survive the Abyss. I slipped it on my finger, opposite of the ring I'd acquired from Lautrec...I still wore it to remember what we had to go through.

After a few minutes, Flynn came back, meeting me next to the broken tower. "I think this is the entrance to the Abyss...if it is, we'll see the Four Kings of New Londo there. Are you ready?"

He nodded. "We've gotten this far. There's no point in turning back now."

"Then let's not keep royalty waiting." I entered the tower, carefully descending the winding staircase as everything began to get suffused by darkness, until eventually the only thing guiding me was the feel of the wall to my side. Soon, I couldn't even feel that...I simply felt weightless.

Absence...that was how I could only describe it. Nothingness wasn't even adequate...it didn't feel like I was in an empty, impossibly large space. It felt like I was nowhere, an absence of everything around me. A void...an Abyss. The name finally made sense. The Abyss wasn't a place, rather, it was the lack of anything. And yet, here I was, falling through it for eternity. I didn't know if Flynn was right beside me, an arm's reach away, or hadn't even fallen off the stairs yet. I couldn't even see myself to know if I was still holding my weapon, though the familiar weight in my hand led me to believe I still had it.

Eventually, after time had lost all sense of meaning, there was a singular, dim light shining amidst the darkness. It was coming from my hand, specifically, the ring I wore on my finger. The growing light came to envelop me, not in the same was as my Wrath of the Gods miracle...more that the dim light spread just far enough to illuminate my person. Far away, something else illuminated as well...a person, clad in black. I could only guess that it was Flynn, based on the dimensions.

The next sensation to hit me was a sense of weight, my body no longer feeling as if it was floating through space. I slowed down, eventually finding myself standing upright, though I had no way to tell which direction was up. Looking straight up, I could see Flynn falling from above, slowly coming to a stop near me. I took a few steps away, giving him room to land on his feet.

"Is this...what is this?"

"It's the Abyss. It's emptiness embodied. Nothing is here except you, me...and supposedly the Four Kings. How we're supposed to leave here, I haven't the slightest idea."

I took a step in what felt like forward, feeling a sort of firmness to the emptiness beneath me, as if the ring allowed us to walk in this maddening place. Beside me, Flynn spoke up. "If this place is...empty. How do we find the Kings?"

Off in the distance, something else appeared...a figure, much larger than either of us. It didn't appear to be made of flesh and bone, but oddly enough...wood. Its head consisted of a sort of wooden crown, pieces of its flesh forming the odd structure. "I'm willing to guess...they'll find us. Now, let's try and get rid of this before the other three show up."

The King noticed us as well, sort of floating towards us. Unlike us, it didn't seem like it had any way of surviving here...it had simply adapted on its own. I didn't want to think how hellish life would be here, trapped in this eternal emptiness.

Beside me, another light started swelling, one far more familiar to me than Sif's ring...Flynn's pyromancy flame. The reddened orb swelled larger and larger, consuming his hand until he lobbed it at the King, both of us watching as the fireball practically consumed it, the wood-like carapace bursting into flames. It let out an ear-splitting shriek in response...two more figures appeared far away in the Abyss, looking nearly identical to the one right before us. It had summoned help, whether it knew it or not...we had to act fast.

I charged in close to the King, diving under its odd weapon, a sort of axe made of the same material as it. The long-handled weapon swung fire over me, giving me enough time to put in several more quick, clean cuts into the King's body. Up close, it did seem to be made of wood...I wasn't going to begin trying to wrap my mind around it, not in a place like this.

Flynn kept up the barrage, another fireball flying into the first King, the wood starting to burn away at a fairly rapid pace. He followed this up with a heavy swipe from his axe, and I could hear the sound of wood being split by the single strike. With another one, he lopped off its arm, continuing to go until there was nothing left but a lifeless pile of wood.

There was no time for celebration, however...two were left, and there was a third still lost to the void. We both knew what had to be done, splitting off in separate directions for each of the two visible kings. Though I didn't have the power of fire to aid me, I couldn't slow Flynn down.

I approached the second King, doding out of the way as its axe came crashing down, somehow coming to a stop along the invisible barrier I was walking on. Seizing my opportunity, I leaped onto the handle of the blade, carefully climbing along the hilt before the King had a chance to react, leaping onto its shoulder, a twisted mass of wood that made all three of them look extremely lopsided. I dug my blade into the wood, slowing my descent, giving me a chance to climb into the tangled wood of its shoulder. There, I reached for my talisman, crossing my hands, and unleashing the Wrath of the Gods once more.

Wood flew everywhere...everywhere. Its entire shoulder turned into little more than splinters, falling around me and into the void beyond. Like the first one, an ear-splitting shriek filled the expanse around us as it cried out in pain...I could only assume that meant the fourth King wasn't far behind.

However, I had bigger problems to deal with...like the second King. Right after I annihilated its shoulder, its chest seemed to open up, the wood folding back, beginning to pull me into the opening in its chest that had just been revealed. I tried to wedge my blade into a crevice for support, but that didn't even help as I left a tear along the King's exterior.

I was sucked into its chest, the wood closing back in around me, moving even further to dig into my armor as massive spikes of wood ripped through the metal I donned. However...that wasn't all. It seemed like its chest was capable of producing sorceries, a ball of black energy coalescing right in front of me, bathing me in pure agony. It felt as if I was being ripped to shreds, the wood digging into my back compounded by the sorcery tearing away at my flesh.

The worst part was...there was nothing I could do. I couldn't reach my talisman, and even if I could, I had already used Wrath of the Gods several times since our last rest...that last casting had taken a lot out of me. As far as I was concerned, I was fairly trapped in here, and it didn't seem like I'd last all that long. Still, I fought for survival, trying to contort myself such that I could hack at the wood digging into me, all the while trying to avoid the growing orb of energy consuming me. It didn't feel like my flesh was burning...this wasn't a pyromancy. Rather, it felt like it was simply disappearing.

Eventually, I managed to cut down one of the smaller branches digging into me, giving me back just enough maneuverability to be able to grab my talisman. Frantically, I cast a healing miracle, the odd sensation of my skin returning and being eaten alive overcoming me...I wasn't sure just what to think of it. I kept hacking with my sword, hoping to eventually free myself from this prison. However, the wooden spikes digging into me were far too great...I didn't know if -

Heat. Searing heat consumed me, bathing my back. The guttural shriek I'd heard twice now returned, amplified immensely by the fact that I was inside the creature making it. However, the heat...I knew exactly where it came from. The King eventually let go of me, my limp body falling out of it and onto the illusory ground we'd been standing on up until this point. I could see Flynn, shield in his right hand, pyromancy flame alive and glaring in his left, facing down the King, one more fireball being lobbed at it, turning what I could only assume was the third one into a pile of ash.

He rushed over to me, grasping his Estus flask. "Drink quickly...there's still one more."

I weakly took the flask, taking it to my own lips as I felt the invigorating liquid flow through me once again. My back started to heal, as did my skin, wounds closing up as the liquid poured through me. In the distance, I heard another fireball fly from Flynn's hand as he assumedly battled with the fourth and final King.

Eventually, I was back on my feet, taking no time to spot the final King. It looked similar to all the others, other than the massive fire currently burning through its chest. Flynn had his Chaos Whip wrapped around the King's arm, keeping the massive axe it held more than contained. From afar, I fired off a hail of spears, though it appeared that they were far less effective than fire.

Flynn kept up the fight, pulling the King's arm to the ground just as the whip disappeared, a new one forming immediately afterwards that wrapped around its neck. Flynn pulled it to the ground, grabbing his axe with his off hand, plunging it into the King's crown. As it split open, it flailed around in a last ditch effort, though its axe failed to hit anything meaningful.

Flynn's final opus was one final Chaos pyromancy, pillars of lava and fire not bursting out of the ground around him...since there was none. Instead, orbs of lava formed in the space around him, bursting outwards as an ever-growing sphere of fire consumed the final king. It was actually quite beautiful in a way, a display of color and power mixed into one, burning the final King alive. I didn't need to help...Flynn had this.

Eventually, it perished from the pyromancies, three piles of ash now sitting next to the one pile of wood. From each of them, a sliver of light appeared, twinkling in the darkness as they started closing in on each other over top of the four King's slain corpse. While the bodies faded away, the four fragments remained, eventually coming together as one. I advanced towards it curious, but immediately understanding what it was. It was the soul...all of theirs, formed into one. It appeared just as powerful as all the others, though the four fragments were clearly visible as it shimmered.

Flynn grabbed hold of it, pocketing it away. "Sorry I left you in there for as long as I did...I was occupied."

I shook my head. "Flynn...you more or less took them on alone. You don't need to apologize, that was impressive. I owe you one."

"Fair enough. Now...how do we leave?"

I heard movement behind us, turning around to see something akin to a serpent. However, as opposed to the usual head of a snake, it appeared far more human. Grayed skin held onto an oversized mouth, two veiny eyes looking down at us. "I...I am called Kaathe. I hear your plea. I can help you."


	29. Chapter 29

**Flynn**

 **SL73 - 30 VIT - 23 ATT - 23 END - 36 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL73 - 23 VIT - 23 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 26 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 37 FTH**

 **Flynn**

"Kaathe...what do you want?" I had no hesitation, my axe making its presence clear in my hand. If this was indeed the same Kaathe that had sent the Darkwraiths after us, any slight attempt at negotiation put me on edge.

"It's less about what I want...and more about what you want." The snake-like body slid to the side, revealing a lone bonfire amidst the blackness surrounding it, somehow present. "You seek a way out of here, and I can provide it to you...or i can block it." The serpent coiled itself around the bonfire, making any potential access impossible so long as Kaathe was there.

Resa was the one to speak next, having a very different stance than me. "You have our attention, Kaathe, and you've made your point clear. What do you want?"

"Simple. I'm no fool to what you're doing...undead have no reason being down here unless they're searching for one thing in particular. You're seeking the Lord Souls, hoping to gain access to the First Flame. Correct me if I'm wrong." As none of us spoke, he continued a few seconds later. "Exactly. Why you're seeking the Flame, I won't begin to assume. Perhaps you could shed some light on that?"

I shook my head. "That's no business of yours, Kaathe. Also, we're far from trapped here. If you don't make your point soon, I can end my own life, and find both of us a way out of here."

The serpent nodded, uncoiling from the bonfire. "Very well, very well, you have made your statement. You may not know, but Gwyn currently guards the First Flame...a sort of protector. This is because he seeks to prolong the age of undead...an age that he started. He has been sacrificing his very body to keep this flame burning, and now barely clings to his life and his sanity. If you do, in fact, seek the Flame, he will not regard you kindly. The Flame is all he has left..those that find him encounter a hostile man past his prime."

"You've got two sentences to make your point, serpent. I'm growing impatient."

Kaathe nodded. "If you seek the Flame, you will have to kill him. Once you've done that, you, and you alone, can choose to end the age of undead by letting the fire burn out."

I was a bit taken back, somewhat offput by just how bold his statement was. "You want us to end the age of undead...you want undead to end the age of undead? No."

Kaathe shook his head. "Yes...it is not an easy task. However, allowing the fire to die out will end the age of undead, preventing others from your homeland from suffering the same fate as you. It will allow the humans to live free of fear, that one day they may wake up as undead. Is that not something you wish to give your brethren?"

I shook my head. "My brethren tied us up and shipped us to that damnable asylum the moment they saw we were undead. I owe them nothing." I turned to Resa, trying to gauge if I'd just said something absolutely repulsive. The look I got back was a mixture of shock and understanding...though she knew where I was coming from, it was clear she didn't agree with it.

Resa stepped forward. "I will consider your offer, Kaathe. What you speak of...I understand. If I must sacrifice myself to save my homeland, that is a sacrifice I am willing to take."

I turned to her, shocked. "Resa, you can't be serious. We owe them nothing...less than nothing. Think of all the undead we've met here...think of all those lives you'd be throwing away."

"Like Solaire? Like Reah? They already threw their lives away, Flynn. This is a curse, not a blessing...we have to end it if we have the chance."

I shook my head, adamant. "Fine. Fine. If you value the lives of the humans that shunned you over the undead that became your friends and companions, maybe we need to go our own way. I...I can't." I turned my attention back towards Kaathe. "Tell me this, serpent. Suppose Gwyn dies. What happens to the flame, now that its source is dead?"

"It will need a new source of fuel, same as any other fire. However, it feeds off of your souls...your humanity. You can feed it wood all day long and it will only grow more dim. Keeping it burning is, well...suicide."

"And yet it keeps the people of Lordran alive that much longer. It's a sacrifice, but it's one I'm willing to take."

This time, Resa was the one in anger. "You would willingly throw your life away for the people here? For people like Lautrec, Petrus, or Kirk? You would rather do that than save all of Thorolund and Astora, and...everywhere?"

I shook my head. "No. I would do not do it for those people. I would do it for Quelaag and Quelaana, for Laurentius, for Griggs and Domhnall. For the memories of Solaire and Reah. For Anastacia. Not everyone here is evil, Resa. They deserve a chance at life. If you choose not to keep the Flame burning, you're ending the entirety of the undead. Keeping it burning...yes, more humans become undead, but they already would have. It's not my choice to decide who lives and who dies. It's nobody's."

"By condemning people to this undead curse, brother, you already are choosing who lives and who dies." At that, my sister turned to the serpent. "I will do as you ask, Kaathe. Please, grant me leave of this place." She walked towards the serpent, his body moving out of the way to grant her access to the bonfire. Before she got too close, though, she turned around to face me one last time, black emptiness filling the space between us. "Though I disagree with you, Flynn, I would not snuff out a flame after you had sacrificed yourself to it."

"Just as I cannot sacrifice myself to a flame you have extinguished. I will deliver the third fragment to the Lordvessel shortly...we both know where the fourth is. I do not wish to place the lives of both undead and humans to a race...but if it must come to that, then so be it."

"Very well."

With that final, terse response, she departed behind the serpent, his body coiling back around to prevent my entrance to the fire. Though I could never see her leave, I knew she would...I didn't know if I'd ever see her again.

* * *

 **Resa**

I arrived back at Firelink Shrine...and waited. I knew that Flynn was still trapped in the Abyss, and I knew that he was far too stubborn to even act like he believed the Serpent's words...the correct words.

The fact that Flynn even considered an alternative was jarring, to say the least. How he could choose this damnable world, and all the terrors we'd found since we were here, to Thorolund back home...it didn't make sense. We both watched Solaire hollow before our eyes, as well as watch Reah do the same. On top of that, he personally had spent an eternity hunting down Lautrec to save Anastacia. And yet, despite all that, he still valued the lives of these monsters to his brothers and sisters back in Thorolund. I couldn't believe it when I first heard him say it, and repeating it back to myself, I still couldn't.

Perhaps it was because of Anastacia...the two of them were impossibly close. She must have been clouding his judgement, causing him to value the undead more. If that was the case, I needed to fix that, and get us both on the same page...I just wasn't sure how to go about planting that seed.

Eventually, Flynn appeared beside me, barely giving me a second glance as he walked towards the pit to the Lordvessel. From behind him, I called out...I had a plan. "I'll get Anastacia from New Londo...if that's okay."

He turned around, his posture not too different from when he was ready to charge into battle. "Do whatever you want sister...Resa. If I find out you hurt her, there will be problems."

"Just as I suspected...I always knew you'd choose her over me. You almost had me convinced, Flynn, but I knew where your priorities were."

He shook his head angrily. "That was before I learned I had a sister that valued her life less than the wretches that threw us into that asylum. Before then, I meant it...I really did. Now, I'm positive I don't."

I shook my head...this conversation wasn't helpful for either of us. "You have my word I won't harm her. I'll take her back to Andre's tower, safely. After that, I'm going to the Duke's Archives. I expect you'll do the same?"

"I have business with Laurentius, and I would appreciate it if that titanite slab could be put in a place I could use it, while you're down there."

I started walking towards the stairs back to New Londo. "You're making a lot of requests and offering nothing in return. Be glad we're related."

"Right now, I wish we weren't. It would make the emotions easier to handle."

After that, we both paused...eventually I spoke, much softer. "On that, we agree."

With nothing more to say, I turned my back to him, moving towards the elevator to New Londo, and descending down into the darkness.

Thankfully, the ghosts were still absent...it seemed Anastacia's continued presence held them from returning. Eventually, I was back at the tower she'd holed up in, finding her leaning against the slab Flynn had asked me to bring back. As little as I wanted to, he had done the same for me. I owed him this much in what could be our last interaction.

Anastacia looked up at me full of surprise. "Where is Flynn?"

"He wanted to talk to someone else, and asked me to come get you. I'll take you back to Andre's tower, if that's where you want to be."

She shook her head. "I want to be with him...wherever that is."

"I wish I knew. He didn't tell me where he was going, only that we'd reconvene at Firelink. He also asked me to grab the titanite slab, so he'll be heading to Andre's tower sometime soon. He would know to look for you there." I wanted to talk about Flynn as little as possible, mainly because I didn't want her to know what'd just happened. I had questions for her...hopefully I could twist her to support my views.

Thankfully, she agreed to return to the tower, the two of us walking back the way we'd came. Not long, I let my questioning begin.

"You came from Astora, right Anastacia?"

She nodded. "Yes. It's been ages since I've been there. I hardly remember the place."

"And if you could return there, would you?" Again, another nod. "What if there was nobody there...what if it was just the land?"

At this, she paused, contemplating it. "I would still return, though maybe not for as long. Astora was truly a beautiful place, even after the undead curse reached it. I'd want to be back there just to see the sights, if nothing else."

That wasn't what I was hoping to hear...I certainly wouldn't return to Thorolund just to see the trees. "And what about here...you were locked up in a cell when we first found you. Why was that?"

Again, another pause. "Why are you so curious about my life?"

"Just that...curiosity. I don't feel I know you well enough for how close you are to Flynn."

She nodded. "Fair enough. To answer the question...people feared me. They kept me locked away out of fear. After that, people didn't do anything because they assumed I was locked away for a reason. That is, until you and Flynn showed up."

"Do you harbor resentment? For being locked up?"

Shockingly enough, she shook her head yet again. "For a time, I did. However, I've seen countless undead. For every one that was wicked enough to lock me away, there were twenty that were ambivalent or skeptical, and fifty that wanted to do something, but didn't know how. And, of course, there were two that wanted to do something, and did. Only two."

"And so the good outweighs the bad? Even after being trapped for potentially years?"

She nodded. "There are terrible people here, Resa. Even worse than...than Lautrec. However, there are also people like you and Flynn. Given the chance to do it all over again, I wouldn't change anything. Sure...I was dead for a time, but then Flynn brought me back. I think that's more than enough proof that the good outweighs the bad. If it didn't, I'd still be dead."

That...caught me off guard. At this point, we were already ascending the elevator back to Firelink, the platform just coming to a stop. We kept walking, this time with Anastacia driving the questions. "What about you? Given a chance to do it all over again, would you?"

Before I responded, I deposited the titanite slab into the box at the Firelink bonfire...I was ready to be done carrying it. "You know...I thought I had an answer for that. But after hearing that...I'm not sure I do anymore. She made several good points, points I wouldn't have expected her to make. I certainly wouldn't trade being locked in a cage for eternity for what couldn't be more than a month of young love. And yet, Anastacia would...happily. I wasn't so sure, anymore...perhaps the undead were worth saving, or at least not knowingly killing.

The rest of the journey to Andre's tower was filled with silence between us. I was deep in thought, trying to weight the costs and the benefits. What was once so black and white was now a very muddied gray. I took her up the elevator, taking out the few undead that stood in her way, immediately departing for the Duke's Archives...though perhaps not for the same intention as before.

* * *

 **Flynn**

Once more, I fell down the bottomless pit, descending into nothingness only to emerge at a familiar place once more. The door was still sealed...as it should be, but I certainly wished for the opposite. If it was open, I'd just rush into there right now. I didn't need Resa to defeat Gwyn...I didn't need her for anything anymore. Why she would be willing to sacrifice the lives of people like Anastacia or Quelaan...just to guarantee that the humans at home have no chance of become undead...it was beyond me.

I placed the third soul into the Lordvessel, watching as the tiny crevice of light separating me from the First Flame grew ever-so-slightly brighter. Desperate for an easy way out, I threw my body into the wall, doing anything possible to make it budge...to no avail. I wanted an easy way out of this so bad, one that didn't involve me being at-arms with my sister. However, given everything we'd gone through thus far, I knew it was hopeful.

With no other way out of this, I took the brief walk back to the Lordvessel, taking a seat by it once again. This time, I envisioned Blighttown, and the forgotten tunnel that I'd last seen Laurentius.

* * *

A moment later and I was there, seated next to the bonfire, Laurentius sitting across the way. As soon as he saw me, however, I got a very different reaction than what I expected. He stood up, pyromancy flame roaring to life in his hand...as roaring as it could be, at least.

"You liar!" He took a few predatory steps towards me, hurling a fireball that I absorbed with my shield. "You...you lied to me! Quelaana told me the truth!"

Another fireball was hurled at me, this one slipping past my defenses and hitting me in the shoulder. Surprisingly...I didn't feel anything close to pain. Perhaps it was true...perhaps I had stolen a majority of his strength when he split his flame and gave half of it to me. He'd improved my pyromancy flame, however...perhaps I could do the same to his. "Laurentius, I...yes, I lied to you. I did what I thought was right, to keep you safe."

"Safe! Is that what I am? Safe!" He cast a different pyromancy, a quick burst of flame that temporarily blinded me. "You will pay!"

A torrent of weak fireballs followed, though given that I couldn't see them coming, most of them hit their mark. Individually, they were weak, but after ten of them, they were starting to take their toll.

"Laurentius...I'm sorry I lied to you." I set my shield down as my vision began returning to me, taking a seat on the floor. "It was wrong of me...I should have told you the truth earlier. I knew you'd find out. If you want...we can still learn the scroll I gave you."

At that, there was a pause, until his flame grew stronger. "You mean...you have lied about something else?"

I froze...had he asked Quelaana about that scroll in particular? It seemed so...it made sense with what he was saying. If that was the case, I'd just walked into a trap that had no way out.

"What are you hiding from me you traitor!" A fireball hit me directly in the face, seeping through my armor and onto my flesh. I felt the momentary burn, but the pain didn't linger for long.

There was no way out of this...I couldn't keep lying myself out of this. "I...Quelaana improved my flame further. I don't know why I can and why you couldn't. I wish it was different...I don't deserve this." I hung my head to the ground, defeated...I couldn't even bear to look at him any more.

"You...what?" I heard Laurentius' knees hit the ground, his hands a moment behind. I couldn't bear to look up at him, but I could hear him hollowing, the way his voice became ragged, until eventually he let out an ear-piercing howl. "I'll kill you!"

He charged at me, practically ignoring his pyromancy flame, pounding his fists against my armor. He had a simple hand axe on him, but he wasn't swinging it nearly hard enough to dent my armor, even while I still sat defeated on the ground. I had to do it...I had to kill him. He'd just gone through a far more aggressive hollowing than anyone else had that I knew of, and it was all because of me. Despite this, I would have to be the one to put him down.

I stood up, grabbing my axe in both hands...I didn't want to do this. He'd been such a good friend to me, and yet I'd done nothing but let him down. He was still furiously attacking me, axe clanging against my armor...I raised up my own, taking a single swipe at the empty husk of a man before me.

His limp body hit the floor with a smack, fading away a moment later. I sunk back to the ground, armor crashing into the ground...and wept. For the first time since I'd been in Lordran, the tears flowed freely.

Amidst all of this, though...a thought slipped into my mind, one that I didn't want to entertain, but forced itself to be present. If we were both human, this would have been different. He wouldn't be able to become hollow...it simply wasn't possible for a human to hollow. He'd be angry of course, but he had every right to be. However, humans don't turn into mindless beasts when they're angry...that's something only us wretched undead do. Perhaps I was thinking about this the wrong way. Perhaps it wasn't about saving all of the current undead, though it certainly played a factor in the decision. Perhaps it was more about saving all of the potential future undead, preventing them from ever suffering this damnable fate we'd dealt with. I still loathed the people in Thorolund for rejecting us...but even so, I couldn't subject anyone to what Laurentius had gone through. If I sacrificed myself, to keep the flame alive, tens of thousands more humans could become undead...and tens of thousands of people could hollow as a result of my sacrifice...if it was even that. What was once so black and white was now a very muddied gray.

I took a seat at the now-empty bonfire, leaving for Andre's tower. It was the only thing that would cheer me up right now...seeing Anastacia. On top of that, I had a titanite slab that needed to be used...that might cheer me up as well.

* * *

 **Resa**

I emerged the only place I knew to, bing the first bonfire we'd found in Anor Londo. There had been a woman there, garbed in a strange brass armor. Gwynevere had told us that the Duke's Archives were near Anor Londo...perhaps this person could tell me more.

I arrived directly at the bonfire to find...nothing. In fact, the bonfire wasn't even lit, but rather as dormant as when I'd found it. Beyond that, the woman in brass was gone as well...strange. Oddest of all, however, was the sky. It was dark...pitch black. The glorious sun that had once been here was now absent, replaced by a blackened sky. Perhaps Solaire truly had been telling the truth...perhaps it wasn't a real sun after all. How it became this, I had no way of knowing.

I wanted to find Gwynevere, to ask her about this...but I couldn't. I wasn't able to use the Lordvessel at a dormant bonfire, and try as I might, I wasn't able to light it. I couldn't remember if the woman had said she was the firekeeper here. It would make sense...this was similar to when Anastacia was dead. This time, however, I had no way to know who her killer was.

No, that wasn't true...I did. Hidden amidst the dark shadows in the corners of the room was another black orb, a singular eye in the center of it. I remembered what that mean...we would be challenged to a duel, one that was rigged against us. Us...there I was again, referring to 'us' as if Flynn was beside me. For the first time in our journeys, we had separated with no plans of reconnecting, over a squabble that I didn't even believe in any more. Perhaps Flynn held fast to his beliefs...that would actually make things easy. I wouldn't stop him from sacrificing himself to the Fire right now, and I certainly would join him if he did so. If he felt strongly enough to preserve the age of undead, then I did to. However, if I were to accept this duel, I would need my brother...just like I always did.

With no way to Gwynevere other than traversing the entirety of Anor Londo, I set out to find the Duke's Archives. Thankfully, they weren't hard to find. As soon as I took a step outside the stairs, I looked to my left, seeing a massive complex sprawled out before me. That was the only clue I had, but also the best clue. If I was going to find the Duke's Archives, that would be the place. I didn't want to wait for Flynn...for all I knew, he could have beaten me here, and already set out to claim the final soul before I did. If that was the case, I didn't want to leave him alone. I needed to tell him that I'd had a change of heart.

* * *

 **Flynn**

I arrived at Andre's tower, finding an empty bonfire. Perhaps Anastacia hadn't returned yet...or perhaps Resa was even more treacherous than I could have expected. Whatever the case, I didn't want to come to conclusions quite yet. The journey through New Londo wasn't easy, and if Resa had carried that slab with her the entire way, it was very possible that they wouldn't be back. I looked into the bottomless box, however, finding the slab...perhaps my fears were warranted. Still, I wanted to give her time, just in case there were unforeseen complications.

I took the slab, as well as the ember, taking both down to Andre's forge. The old man seemed excited to see me, but even more excited to see the possessions I brought him. "What's this? It looks like ye've brought more presents for me...is that an ember...and a titanite slab?"

I nodded, presenting both to him. "These were found in the depths of New Londo. Figured you'd have a use for one of them, perhaps both."

He nodded, greedily taking the ember from my hands. "Indeed, this ember'll forge an even greater weapon out of yer standard titanite. That blade on yer back - it's been through the works, hasn't it? Before ye can use the slab, though, ye'll need something smaller. I'll know it when I see it."

I ran upstairs, pulling something out from the bottomless box. I didn't have very many of these, maybe only three or four...found randomly throughout our adventures. They were, indeed, larger than what I'd used on the demon blade thus far, but still vastly smaller than the slab. With one in hand, I ran downstairs, presenting the chunk of titanite to him.

Andre gave a supportive nod, reaching out for the black rock. "This is it...this will do the trick. If I recall correctly, ye'll only need seven, as opposed to the usual nine. I haven't seen one in ages, though, and I doubt anyone else has. Ye'll probably have to go hunt for 'em. Wherever you found them, or even wherever you found the slab, would be a good start."

I'd found the chunks all over the place, scattered throughout Lordran. However, if the Darkwraiths carried slabs, I was willing to be that they'd carry the chunks as well. If Andre was right, I'd only need to get three...but if I was fighting the Darkwraiths alone, that might take some time.

"I'll get them, old friend...and I'll be back. You can count on that."

"I know ye well enough Flynn...I'll see ye soon. Stay safe out there."

I nodded, ascending the stairs once more to an empty bonfire...I was getting worried. If she wasn't back by the time I was done hunting for this titanite, I would have some words with Resa.

* * *

The slog through New Londo was terrible even when we were together...it was infinitely worse now that we were alone. Worst of all, the ghosts were back, and I had no way of dealing with them. I ran as fast as I could through the path I'd traversed several times now, almost becoming second nature in so short of a time. My first instinct was to check Anastacia's tower...she wasn't there, and neither was the slab. Perhaps I'd just missed her...or something had happened. I had no way of knowing which.

What I did know, however, was that I had to take on the Darkwraiths...alone. The drakes didn't try to intervene this time, thank goodness, giving me some one-on-one time with the Darkwraith. I had to be slow and patient, waiting for its vulnerabilities, slowly beginning to learn his prefered attack patterns, as well as my windows of opportunity that arose from that. I never fought perfectly clean, always taking them down after suffering from a strike or two...for the first time in forever, I actually had to use my Estus flask to cure my wounds. I needed to find Resa, and right the wrong between us...perhaps she was onto something.

Eventually, I did manage to claim three chunks, though I wasn't lucky enough to find another slab in the process. With my task completed, I returned to Firelink Shrine, using the Lordvessel's power to find my way back to Andre's tower.

When I arrived, I was greeted by a very familiar and well-loved face...Anastacia. She wrapped her arms around me as soon as I appeared, catching me by surprise. "I missed you...Resa had made it sound like you didn't want to come find me."

I shook my head...that wasn't right at all. "No, she simply said that she wanted to get you. I needed to go talk to somebody else, an old friend named Laurentius. Last time I'd seen him, he was in a rough spot...I needed to talk to him. Had that not been the case, I would have come back for you, no doubt."

She nodded, wrapping around to sidle up against my shoulder. "I believe you. Where is Resa, if I may ask? She was asking...personal questions."

"What kind of questions?"

"Just about what life was like before you two, before Lautrec and any of this mess. About whether I valued the good undead more than the bad."

I saw where this was going...she was having the same doubts I was now having. "And what did you tell her?"

"That the good was better. The way I see it, I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for the good undead, and I wouldn't even be free from the cage I'd been locked in. I think that proves that the good outweigh the bad."

"...Yeah, I suppose you have a point there." So she took my stance on the issue...or at least the stance I use to take on the issue. Now, after watching Laurentius go mad, I wasn't too sure. Absolutely, the good undead outweigh the bad...but they were still undead, a horrible curse that nobody should have to suffer through.

I didn't want to pry further, especially after the trauma she'd just been through. I stayed and chatted for a little bit longer, only to descend towards Andre's forge once we were finished.

"I've brought you what you need...seven. Shall we begin?"

The old smith nodded, taking the chunks. "I've already got the new ember ready. She glows with a ferocity I've haven't seen in ages...ye'll like what comes from this." I gave him my demon blade, setting the massive blade onto the anvil, taking a seat to watch him go to work.

And what a beautiful work it was. With each infusion of titanite, the blade grew even more impressive, almost emanating an aura of power around it. At last, Andre got to the slab, hefting the massive piece of titanite on top of the blade, setting to work with his mallet. With one massive strike, the entire slab dissolved, its power sinking into the blade, suffusing it with unimaginable power.

Andre lifted the completed blade with a sort of reverence, holding it out to me. "There ye are lad...this thing'll cut through quite a bit more than cloth. Hell, ye could probably cleave this anvil in half if ye really wanted to...but please don't."

I chuckled, taking the refined weapon. It felt ever-so-slightly lighter, but I knew that wasn't the case. It had been a while since I'd used titanite, since the sewers really, but I knew that the weight had just subtly shifted around, lending more power to its blows. On top of that, the blade was no impossibly sharp, likely never able to dull again. "Thank you, Andre...I will use it carefully."

"Lad, if yer using it carefully, that blade is gonna want a new owner. Swing it around, bash some skulls, give it the works...it'll keep up."

I nodded. "Understood. I'll see what trouble I can get into."

"Now yer getting it. Stay safe out there Flynn."

"You too, Andre." I ascended the stairs once more, finding Anastacia still sitting in the corner. I knelt down, taking a seat by the bonfire. "Did Resa tell you where she was going?"

"She said you'd reconvene at Firelink Shrine...I don't know much after that."

Firelink Shrine...that must have just been to not raise suspicion. I was there just before this, and saw no trace of her. She must have been already let for the Duke's Archives...which meant I needed to find her.

 **This came out incredibly fast. The concept for this chapter hit me as I was writing it - I wasn't planning on it going this way. However, I'm incredibly happy with it, and have plans to incorporate it through these last few chapters. We're almost to the end, probably three more chapters after this, which I have plans to finish by the end of this month. If I keep writing at the pace this came out, that should be a very easy goal.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Flynn**

 **SL75 - 32 VIT - 23 ATT - 23 END - 36 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL75 - 23 VIT - 23 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 28 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 37 FTH**

 **Resa**

I made my way through the stairways of this new, dark Anor Londo, climbing higher and higher towards the Duke's Archives. Eventually, I reached what appeared to be the main hallway in, a low ceiling guiding me inwards. At the end of the hallway, however, was a boar...one I'd seen before. Flynn and I'd fought a similar one near the entrance of the church, back when I was barely confident enough to swing a sword...that had clearly changed.

It noticed me as well, stampeding forwards down the narrow corridor. I backed out of the narrow corridor, leaving just enough time for the boar to charge through, barely missing me. I gave a quick snap towards it rear, hoping to catch it off guard, my divine blade leaving barely more than a scratch. Before it could turn around, I quickly threw a lightning spear at it's flank, the miracle doing slightly more...but still not nearly enough.

The boar spun about outside the doorway, turning to charge directly for me. I had trapped myself in a corner trying to avoid it earlier, giving me nowhere to run, at least not in the few seconds I had before being impaled. As a last ditch effort, I crossed my talisman to my chest, feeling a shell of force begin to surround me. As soon as I felt the boar's tusk hit my armor, I unleashed the Wrath of the Gods.

The boar was sent staggering backward, nowhere near as much of an effect I had hoped for. Previously, though, I had used this on humanoids...beings my size, as opposed to the massive beast in front of me. Though it made sense it wasn't sent flying away, it was still frustrating. Still, I took advantage of the brief respite, leaping off of its barbed tusk to get just enough purchase to land on its back.

While it contemplated just what to do with me, I began plunging my blade into its back, the piercing strikes being far more effective than my previous slash. Holy power surged through the boar as it began wildly bucking, doing everything it could to throw me off. However, whenever it got particularly rough, I simply dug my sword in deeper, gripping the blade tightly. Eventually it did manage to throw me off, which only caused a massive rend as my blade ripped through the metal armor on its way out. Thankfully, that was the final straw, the boar fading away just as it reared up to crush me with its hooves.

Taking a moment to accept that I wasn't about to die, I stood up when I was ready, moving deeper into the opening hallway. At the end was a turn, leading to another hallway...and another boar. This one was even less thrilled to see me, charging forward just like the previous. This time, I had even less options...I could run backwards, but that was about it. Even then, I wouldn't make it out of the hallways before it could reach me. Jumping over it wasn't an option either, not with the low ceilings. There was only one option...one really stupid option.

I began charging at the boar, dropping to the floor once I was only a second away from being trampled. As soon as the shadow passed over me I thrust my blade upwards, feeling the resistance of cutting through metal, as well as feeling my entire body be dragged along the ground. Eventually, the blade made it to the other side, leaving a trail of blood across the entire floor from the gaping wound.

I stood back up as the boar tried to turn around in the narrow hallway, moving quite slow because of its injuries. As it started charging again, it clearly struggled to get moving, slowly ramping up to its maximum velocity. I pulled the same trick again, diving underneath it, putting another gash along its bottom. The third time around I could barely even call it a charge..more of a trot, still trying to run me down before it was gone. I didn't bother with anything fancy...I simply thrust my sword forward, splitting it between the eyes, causing the beast to fall to the ground in defeat.

I kept pressing forward, eventually finding myself at the end of the hall. It emptied out to a fairly sizable room, a bonfire on the left and what appeared to be an elevator directly ahead of me. The bonfire...it could bring Flynn back to me, as it always had. If he was ahead of me, though, that would pull him back...even though I didn't want him to lose progress, we needed to talk, and hash things out. I'd been a stubborn fool earlier, and needed to apologize.

Wait...I knew he wasn't ahead of me, or if he was, he never lit the bonfire. Knowing that, I simply decided to take a seat by the bonfire, confident that I'd pull him from wherever he was, to me.

I waited...it never happened. I even tried to take a short nap in an effort to pass the time, but I only woke up to an empty bonfire. There was a nagging in my soul as I did this...as if I was being called elsewhere. Perhaps he had walked past me? No...I doubt he'd do something like that, even with how we'd last spoken. I didn't know what the situation was, but I was worried. If, somehow, he was trapped inside the Archives, that meant that he needed my help, and I needed to rescue him. I trusted him outside of the Archives...we'd made it through a lot, and we both were stronger now than ever before. The place before me was the only unknown, which made it the most likely place Flynn would get into trouble.

My mind made up, I stepped onto the elevator and pulled the lever in the center of it. I would get to the bottom of this.

* * *

 **Flynn**

I took a seat by the bonfire after I'd finished talking with Anastacia...and felt a sort of odd tugging, as if my body was body was being pulled elsewhere. I wasn't quite sure what it was, but I fought the sensation, focusing on my destination...Anor Londo. I wasn't quite sure where to go, however. Gwynevere had told us that it was near there, however. If anyone would know, she would. I closed my eyes, envisioning the bonfire right before her chambers.

* * *

I opened my eyes...everything was dark. I didn't remember torches the last time we were here, but the natural sunlight had brightly illuminated the central cathedral of Anor Londo, a sunlight that was...gone? I wasn't sure. Curious, I adventured into Gwynevere's chambers, hoping for answers.

None were found, however...only more questions. Gwynevere was missing, the massive spread she sat upon last we saw her now completely open. I looked around...there were no other doors to this room besides the one that I entered, and given the woman's immense size, she would have had to crawl out of it. How she'd even gotten here in the first place was a mystery to me, but it wasn't one that had crossed my mind at the time. Even if she did manage to leave this room, however, there were a scant few places for her to go. As far as I was aware, Anor Londo was fairly isolated, and a woman of her size wouldn't be able to hide easily.

With no other options, I left her chambers, hoping to find the Duke's Archives, and some answers. I doubted they would be directly attached to the cathedral, otherwise I'm sure we'd have run into them by accident earlier. That meant the most likely location was out front, near where we'd entered. I descended the elevator down to the main floor, running as fast as I could towards the exit.

Even more questions filled my mind as I left the room where we'd fought Ornstein and Smough. The main chamber was also empty, the two giants no longer present, as well as the knights along the stairs. Everything was gone...everything. I ran to the end of the hall, finding a lever to the front door that I pulled open promptly. My mind was still worried by the lack of the two giants guarding the front gate, though that wasn't the only difference. The brilliant sun that had been present last we were here was now gone, the sky looking black as night. I couldn't even spot a moon, though perhaps it was hidden by the Cathedral. Something had definitely happened here...everything was different except for the architecture. That couldn't happen by chance.

I avoided the two giants standing guard, making my way back to where we'd first arrived, repositioning the bridge to allow me to cross. On my way, I managed to spot what I could only assume was the Duke's Archives, positioned on a hill to my right. Perhaps Resa had already run through here, and had answers for my questions...if she was willing to speak with me. With what Anastacia said, I was hopeful.

I continued towards the Archives, taking a right at the upper landing, making my way up the stairs to my destination. I was met by a series of tunnels...empty tunnels, with blood smeared across the floors. It seemed Resa had already been through here, a fact that was further proven once I got to the end of the hallway, finding a lit bonfire. So that must have been the tugging I felt earlier...we were both at bonfires, neither of us being pulled towards the other.

Past the bonfire was an empty pit, a lever to the side. I pulled it, hearing a mechanism begin to wind up as an elevator came to the bottom, settling to a halt. With no other options, I stepped onto the small platform, pulling the lever in the center that sent it climbing up to where it'd just been.

Once the elevator came to a stop, I found myself on what appeared to be the ground floor of a library...a very, very big library. The name finally made sense to me...it hadn't quite registered until I saw the thousands of books lining the walls, floor, bookshelves...hell, there were probably some on the ceiling. There appeared to be three more floors above me, little more than a walkway lining the outer walls. At the far end of the ground floor was a staircase that climbed up to the second floor, at which point I couldn't see much else.

However, I did see the enemies, and there were plenty of them. I was a bit confused at first by the beings in front of me. They appeared to be made of crystal, though not the same as the gray cloudy crystals that had stuck to me and Resa as we were being cursed. No, these seemed more pure...more refined. In their hands were similarly crystallized weapons, ranging from swords and shields to bows and arrows. As soon as I made my way to the top, several of them swarmed me, swords raining down on me at the same time as arrows. I hid behind my shield, taking some swipes at the close ones when there was a break, but there hardly was one...I was vastly outnumbered here. I needed someone else to take out at least the archers...someone like Resa.

I needed to find her. She was in here, I knew it. She hadn't died yet, unless that was the tug I felt when I was at the bonfire. If that was the case, she would have been going through this at the same time as me. Perhaps we'd run into each other sooner or later.

I fended off the group of undead slowly-but-steadily, taking out one swordsman, and then another, and then another, until they had all fallen. Once they were dealt with, it was fairly trivial to deal with the archer once it had no forward allies to protect it. With that cleared, I pressed forward...seeing a somewhat familiar face. I only remembered one, perhaps two...the six-eyed casters I'd first seen in the undead church. It stood before the staircase, two archers positioned on the stairs behind it. As I approached, it began to dance about, its staff glowing with power as it did so. From afar, an arrow caught me off guard, hitting my shoulder.

I staggered backwards...that hurt. Hurt far more than should even be possible. I'd forgotten about these casters, and how they augmented the power of their surrounding units. I ripped the crystalline arrow from my armor, hunkering down behind my shield as I advanced far more cautiously than before. I doubted I could take many more arrows like that, not without having to duck and recover, something that wouldn't be too difficult amidst the mass of bookcases around me.

The caster disappeared, spinning about and fading away, only to reappear up on the second story. The archers still seemed just as powerful, however, their arrows slamming into my shield with the strength of something five times their size. I was closing in on the first of them now, ascending the staircase while still hiding behind my shield, my arm starting to grow heavy from keeping such a massive slab of metal lifted up. As soon as I was in striking distance of the first one, I dropped it, leaping into action. I buried my axe within its chest, ripping it out before it could react. There was little it could do with a bow and arrow, giving me plenty of time to shatter its crystalline skin with ease.

I didn't, however, react to the second arrow in time. It hit me lower, in the thigh, causing me to fall down on my knee in pain, tumbling down the stairs. Thankfully, I landed with my shield on top of me, deflecting the next arrow that flew straight towards me. I could barely walk on the leg, even after getting up and ripping the arrow free...another one, and I might not be able to get back up. I narrowly avoided the next arrow, feeling it just brush past my shoulder, and I dropped my shield to the ground, bringing my pyromancy flame to life. With a quick flick of my wrist, the Chaos Whip snaked towards its target, bringing the now-helpless archer within striking distance. I pulled out my demon blade, freshly enhanced with titanite, slamming it down upon the victim. Its body was sliced cleanly in half, dissipating a moment later.

Now that the coast was clear, I hid behind one of the bookcases and a pillar in the center of the room, pulling out my Estus flask. A couple swigs of the potent liquid, and I was back to full health as I stood back up, gathering my armaments. I charged up the staircase, finding an archer on my left and a swordsman on my right, the caster further along down the floor. I dealt with the archer first, charging towards it before it could evade me, my axe burying itself in its midsection with ease. With that dealt with I spun about, deflecting the sword that was coming for me, replacing it with my axe. After another strike or two, it was down as well.

Now, all that was left was me and the caster...now that it was alone, there was little it could do to deal with me. I charged towards it, my shield blocking its sorceries that flew towards me until I was eventually close enough to take it on in melee. My demon blade came out once again, the heavy and imposing blade slamming into the caster several times over, each one sending it staggering around. It tried to disappear again, flying away.

No. Not this time. Just as it was about to completely fade from existence, I cast Chaos Whip once again, wrapping around the illusory body. The brought it back into reality, its body solidifying again as the whip coiled around it tighter and tighter by my command, keeping the caster pinned in place. Once I was confident that it couldn't move, I slammed my blade into it one last time, my mind filling with satisfaction as it faded from existence.

I was alone now...only one place to go. I noticed a position for another elevator at the far side of the staircase, likely where Resa had gone, and stayed. I brought it down again, bringing it upwards once I was upon it.

It emptied out into a small chamber, a long, winding staircase the only exit. I followed it around, the stairway growing more and more crowded with crystals as I climbed, until eventually that was all I could see. I wasn't cold...these weren't ice crystals, nor were they geologic. They were something else entirely, something else I didn't even bother to understand. The top of the staircase emptied out...and everything was made clear.

A dragon. Not a drake, not a wyrm...a dragon. The sheer size gave it away, likely close to the largest being I'd ever seen. Oddly enough, however, it had no scales, instead wearing silvery-white flesh. Instead of legs, it seemed to simply be buried in a mass of crystals, likely of its own creation. In fact, the entire room was filled with them, including the ground that I was walking on. It was as if I'd walked into some bizarre winter, except that I wasn't cold...just terrified beyond belief. I'd taken on drakes before, and I'd lived to tell the tale. A dragon, however, was a completely separate class of dangerous, and it wasn't one that I wanted to take on alone.

Was this Seath, the being that I had come here to slay? If that was the case, I might as well turn around. The dragons were immortal, though I'd heard legends of powerful legions of knights taking them on. There was no way that one lone undead could do what a group of knights struggled to do. Beyond that, it seemed like there was no way for me to even get to the dragon. It was up on a ledge, surrounded by an impenetrable wall of crystals. I did what I could, charging for them, but only found my sword to bounce harmlessly off of the crystalline structure.

A wave of death washed over me from above, my body being pierced by the crystalline breath of the dragon. It bore through my armor, pinning me to the ground, unable to move. I struggled to break free, but there was no hope...I was trapped in this cage of the dragon's own making. To it, I was likely little more than a plaything, another undead hopelessly trying to claim a soul that was unclaimable.

I fell...I didn't even put up a good fight. I couldn't. Another wave of crystalline breath rained down from above, my entire body being filled with pain, the cycle repeating until there was nothing left of me. I fell, trying to fight, but unable to find the strength to carry on.

* * *

 **Resa**

I didn't know where I was, just that the last thing I remembered seeing was...a dragon. I'd found it exploring the archives, trying to run away after I'd encountered it, but unable to make it to the door. I'd been frozen in place by crystals, quickly being overwhelmed once I was defenseless.

After that...I suppose I blacked out. I looked around the small room that I was in now. I didn't recognize it. I was sure I'd never been here before, but it looked similar to the cell where everything had began, long ago in the asylum. Next to me was a bonfire...dimly burning.

I didn't know why I was awake all of a sudden, or how long I'd been passed out beforehand. However, I was glad to be awake, the sound of footsteps echoing out from beyond the prison door. A strange man with the head of a snake appeared, very similar to the ones we'd seen in Sen's Fortress, though perhaps stronger. A particularly strong one was dragging behind it a familiar suit of armor made of black iron. It opened up the cell door, staring down at me. I didn't even try and make a move...I knew it wouldn't end well. The manserpent threw Flynn into the cell like one would throw a sack of flour, the metal clanging to the crystalline ground unceremoniously.

With that, the manserpent slammed the door shut, taking a key hung to his waist and locking the door. It made a mixture of words and hisses to the current guard which walked off, only for the new arrival to take its place.

I turned to Flynn. He was still passed out, and likely would be for a while. All I could do was wait, and hope that he'd eventually recover. In the meantime, I committed the serpent's features to memory. If we had any hope of breaking out of this cell, we'd need the key that dangled mere inches from the front of the door. To get it, though...that wouldn't be easy.

* * *

 **Flynn**

I didn't know if I died while fighting the dragon...or simply became unable to resist. I remembered getting passing out, and the vague feeling that I'd been drug somewhere far away. When I eventually came to my senses, I found myself pressed up against a wall coated in the crystals that had become ever-more-prevalent, my entire body throbbing with pain.

I looked to my left, having to shift my helmet to see the person next to me. Resa...my sister. It seemed she'd suffered the same fate as me, the two of us locked away in this damnable cell together. She hadn't attacked me though, tried to undermine my progress in any way, assuming she'd gotten here before me. That was good...we weren't still at odds with each other.

I grunted, pulling myself upright against the wall of the cell. Just outside the walls was a bulky humanoid, similar to what we'd seen in Sen's Fortress, snake head and all. I didn't want to think about how they were related...my head hurt too much from being drug here to bother thinking about it. Even my slight movement seemed to set it off though, the serpentine neck looking behind it as the head let out an offensive hiss. That was all the incentive I needed, backing off into the corner.

Worst of all...my armaments were stripped from me. My blade, my axe, my shield...at least they had the decency to leave me my armor. Resa was in the same situation, both of her shields stripped from her, as well as her weapon. However, her talisman still clung to her hip...perhaps our captors didn't realize that they'd left her most powerful weapon still in her hands. I looked down at my left hand, hiding it behind my back as I carefully brought my pyromancy flame to life...I still had my most powerful weapon as well.

I glanced towards Resa, sitting across the bonfire from me. She seemed just as scared as I was, her back pressed firmly against the wall. Subtly, she glanced my way, noticing the flickering ember dancing about in my hand. I gestured towards the manserpent guarding the cell...if we were going to escape, it would have to start with him.

She nodded, slowly sliding her hand across her body and grabbing her talisman. I waited for her signal...we would do this together. Before she nodded, however, she mouthed one word…'key'. I glanced towards the manserpent's belt, finding the shiny piece of metal hanging off of the beast's belt. I could only hope it was the right one...otherwise our chances of escape became nearly nonexistent.

In one quick flurry of movement, my pyromancy flame grew into a whip that I snapped towards the unsuspecting target, the fiery braid wrapping around it several times over in a way that secured it to the bars of the cell wall. I pulled backwards on the whip, allowing the searing heat to do it's due diligence on the manserpent's front while Resa got up, ready to help. She summoned forth a lightning spear, launching it at the manserpent's back, several more to follow. It wasn't long until it fell silent, defeated. As it faded away, I heard the key hit the crystalline floor, Resa darting towards it, sticking her hand through the bars and grabbing hold of it.

As she craned her hand around to stuff the key into the lock, I got ready for our escape. "First order of business...we need to find our gear. I can't fight forever with only my flame, and I know the same applies to you and your miracles. After we're out of here...we need to have a chat."

"Agreed...a lot's happened since last we met...there we go." The key sunk into the lock, Resa kicking the door open as soon as she could. The manserpent didn't go down quietly, not by a long shot, and the entire area was already aware that we were attempting to escape. Just as the cell opened, a loud, shrill drone filled the room, practically deafening as it reverberated around the surprisingly-massive room.

To my left, I saw another manserpent immediately turn around, running up the spiral staircase that wrapped around the entire room. I followed the path with my eyes, eventually spotting a ladder at the very top. The serpent ascended the ladder, another one following. "What...what is going on?"

"Something is coming from below. It's half snake, half...not snake."

I stepped out of the cell, glancing down. A swarm, maybe one or two dozen, of...something was coming. Resa had, oddly enough, aptly described the creatures. Their lower half was clearly serpentine, but their head was, well, something I'd never seen before. They funneled out from the very bottom of the chamber, a massive cell door opened up from the far end. The manserpents...they were running from them. Whatever these things were, they must have been unleashed on us as punishment for breaking out. If we were condemned to die again and again to them, that seemed like the best punishment one could offer. I wasn't about to let that happen, not by a long shot.

"New order of business. Kill those things, then find our stuff. Then, if there's time, maybe we talk. Deal Resa?"

"You're better with groups. Have at them."

I nodded, advancing down the stairs and towards the pack of monsters. I had plenty of space before they reached me, giving me time to plan my assault. They were like a pack of feral wolves, each crawling over each other in an attempt to reach me first, no regard for those around it. As the first got within fireball distance, I unleashed a salvo of chaos pyromancies, one fireball being launched at the closest one, another being launched slightly behind. They hit their mark, the lava remaining on the staircase, some of it dripping down onto the floor below. Shrieks echoed through the room as the first few were hit, another chorus following as the second fireball hit its mark. It wasn't enough though, the pack still winding its way up the stairs. I began to back up now, unsure of just what it would require to take down one of them, let alone a dozen. Like I'd said earlier...my power was limited.

I lobbed a third fireball towards the front of the pack again, breathing a sigh of relief as the first few faded away amidst the fire and lava. That still left plenty, however...far more than I wanted to deal with using nothing but my bare fists. I hurled a fourth fireball, this one causing my flame to flicker. I didn't aim to take down any more with this apparently final cast...just soften them all up. I had a way out of this, or at least I hoped I did.

I advanced towards them now, watching with satisfaction as they struggled to make it through the flowing lava that had conveniently started flowing down the staircase, not just off of it. This turned a substantial portion into dangerous territory for the serpentine creatures that had no way to avoid it. I closed the distance, my pyromancy flame swelling to life once again as I doubled over with power...I wouldn't stop until they were all gone.

Gouts of lava started erupting from around me...thankfully, there wasn't much floor for it to come from, causing a majority of it to erupt in the direction of the swarm. Some of the gouts, however, came from behind me...no bother. The lava flowed across my legs, the burning heat an acceptable side effect to the squeals of pain that echoed out from in front of me. I kept channeling the spell, more and more lava and fire adding to the already-deadly environment, creature after creature meetings its end at the hands of such a beautiful pyromancy. I kept going until I couldn't any more, my flame wavering angrily until it threatened to disappear completely, at which point I ended the spell.

I looked around...lava was everywhere. However, they all weren't dead. Most were, thankfully, but three or four still remained, climbing over each other in a maddening attempt at my life. I was out...I could use the whip, but that wasn't going to get rid of them fast enough. They were closing in fast, leaving me with no options. Sighing, I balled up my fists, ready to fight my way out of this through any means necessary.

Just as they grew closer, a familiar shell of energy began pulsing from the inside of the cell. I'd forgotten about my sister...the time apart had forced more self-reliance than I'd expected. Just as the cluster of them crossed the entrance to the cell, the shell rocketed outwards, sending all four of them flying off the staircase, along with a noticeable amount of lava. I looked on as all four of them collided with the ground, none of them surviving the impact. "We're all clear...for now, at least."

Resa emerged from the cell, a satisfied smirk on her face. "You have quite the aptitude for decorating, brother. Really know how to bring life to the place."

"Thanks...I do my best. I think I know the way out, one moment." I advanced up the stairway, ascending the ladder that the other manserpents had taken not too long ago. At the top, however, the door was locked shut...I suppose I couldn't be too surprised. "No good. We're going to need to find another way out, or a key."

"Try this one." She hurled the cell key towards me from afar, landing squarely in my palm. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to fit...the door at the top was massive, the cell key being swallowed by the socket. I shook my head, descending back towards the stairway. Before I landed, I tossed the key back towards Resa, who was already making her way down the stairs.

We weren't the only cell here, not by a long shot, though it was tough to tell from my angle just how many of them were full. That question began to be answered, however, Resa unlocking every door that she could on the way down, checking inside for both our equipment and other people. Every time, however, she came up empty on both accounts.

I started to see what was making the droning noise that had persisted this whole time. A massive horn sat at the end of a balcony near the bottom, playing on its own to fill the entire space. Though it didn't do us much good now...the snake-beasts and the manserpents were both gone, it wouldn't hurt to turn it off, if nothing but for my own eardrums.

The rest of the cells turned up empty as we descended, the two of us reaching the ground floor. To our right, a room opened up with a cell behind it, two more of the beasts huddled in the back of the room. Oddly enough, these didn't seem hostile, even now that they could see us. Perhaps they were the leaders...saw themselves as indispensable. On the other side of the cell, however, I coudl see a man hunched over in the corner, one I hadn't seen before. Straight ahead of us was a ladder that climbed up to the balcony. I looked to Resa, pointing towards the ladder. "Let's shut that noise off first. I don't think I can last much longer."

"Agreed." I followed her towards the ladder, both of us climbing to the top of it...it seems we weren't as alone as we thought we were. Three manserpents still remained to guard the alarm, two of them already charging my sister with sword and shield in hand...we were still fighting with nothing.

All I had left was my chaos whip...I had to use it. My pyromancy flame roared to life as I lashed outwards, ripping one of the foe's shields swords from his hand, retracting it so that I could grip it in my own. It was fairly large, not quite sized for me, but I could absolutely make it work in a pinch. There was a third manserpent hidden behind the other two, this one much smaller than the others. Its hands both crackled with electric energy, lightning spears appearing on both hands. They weren't quite as powerful as the rods of lightning Resa could form, these much more cloudy in appearance, but I didn't want to find out if they hurt any less. I hurled the sword with my main hand off to the side, intentionally aiming away from the serpent. Once it was far enough out, I commanded the whip to reach out and grab it, the fiery braid wrapping around the hilt. I wrenched my body to the side, forcing the whip to follow, which in turn flung the sword towards the manserpent. There was no time to react...the maneuver decapitated it in an instant. Satisfied, I retracted the blade back towards me, holding it up to block the other sword that was about to crash down from above me.

It never hit, a lighting spear instead knocking its shoulder, sending its sword just off course and into the ground. Another followed, this one staggering it even further, forcing its sword onto the ground for support. I took this as an opportunity, using my temporary sword and slicing a massive gash across its chest while it was unable to defend myself. I kept up the momentum, slamming the massive weapon down on top of it, hearing bones starting to break.

Now that it was down, I could watch Resa fight. She was keeping up with the second manserpent admirably, weaving lightning spears in an around her foe's slow attacks, all the while staying just out of reach. There was a certain art to it, something that I couldn't even begin to emulate. I kept up my assault on my own target, another slam from my heavy blade splitting its spine in two. I was far less delicate, and far more brutal...but just as effective.

As Resa finished the final foe, I noticed a glint from where I'd felled the first one. Curious, I moved towards the source, the glint differing from the crystalline hellscape that surrounded us. As I got closer, I found the source. A key, fairly substantial in size, sat hidden on the floor until I recovered. It seemed big enough that it might be our ticket out of here...hopefully. However, what drew more of my attention was the chest that was tucked away in the back of this room, the lid not even close to shut. Inside, I could see my shield and the demon blade, neither of which fit comfortably in the chest. Without further ado, I opened the chest up.

Everything was inside...for both of us. My shield, both my weapons, both of Resa's shields, and her weapon. I didn't wait, immediately grabbing my equipment, carrying Resa's to her. She'd already felled the final enemy, moving towards a lever that appeared to control the alarm.

Silence...I hadn't noticed just how loud the alarm had been since it had been going on almost the entire time I was awake, but now that it was off, the entire room fell silent. It even bordered on peaceful, had it not been for the fight that had just settled down.

I handed my sister her gear, moving to lean against one of the pillars on the balcony. "Alright...I'm quite certain this is the key we need to get out of here. Doesn't look like anything's coming anytime soon. We need to talk...a lot has happened."

She nodded, the two of us taking a seat on the ground...this could take a while. "Flynn, I'm sorry for what I said around Kaathe. I...I'm not so sure it's the right option. I don't know what the right option is."

I nodded my head. "I met with Anastacia, she told me what happened. To be honest though...I'm not so confident either. Laurentius, he's...he's gone. I had to kill him. I feel...gross."

We both sat silent for a second, registering the situation. After a while, Resa pulled out something that was all-too-familiar. In her hand was a black eye orb, one very similar to the one Lautrec had left for us when Anastacia had been killed. "I found this, near the body of the firekeeper in Anor Londo. I don't know what to make of it. I don't know who left it for us, or what to expect...or even where to expect it. I can only assume it was meant for us, though. Perhaps that's why Anor Londo is dark?"

I shook my head. I felt like I had an actual answer to this one. "I went to Gwynevere's chambers...she wasn't there. I can only guess that she was killed, but that's all I know. Who did it, or why, is a mystery. However, her death might be what plunged Anor Londo into darkness. It would make sense. We're going to find who did this, and we'll make them pay. The two events have to be related...someone took out Gwynevere and the firekeeper. I'm confident of that."

"I'll be with you every step of the way, brother...but what now? We're headed to Gwyn. What are we going to do when we get there?"

"I wish I had an answer, but I don't. Undead lives aren't mine to control. I don't want to feel responsible for ending all of them. However, forcing other humans to become undead, and go through what Laurentius just did...I can't have that on my conscience. I wish I had a better answer than that, but I don't. I, I just...I wish I knew."

"We're feeling the same thing, brother. I don't want to be responsible for a decision like that. At the same time, though...Gwynevere is dead. We have to carry out her request...we can't just stop now."

"Agreed. And that means killing Seath. Was that...was that the dragon? You fought a dragon, right? That's how you ended up here?"

Resa nodded. "I couldn't do anything to him, not even my lightning spears seemed to hurt it. If that was Seath, I don't know how we'll defeat him."

"I do, if you'd like to listen to the ruminations of an old man!" The voice came from below us. I'd completely forgotten about the man trapped behind bars, my thought process being sidelined by the reacquisition of our gear. Both of us hurried down the ladder, finding the hunched figure against the wall. He, or what I assumed was a he, had one key, defining characteristic.

"Big Hat Logan." Resa and I said the name together, it dawning on us. I continued. "There was...Griggs of Vinheim. He was looking for you."

The man nodded. "Yes, Griggs was looking for me alright...he found me too, locked away in Sen's Fortress. We got through there together, eventually making it to Anor Londo. There, we split paths. He was too drawn in by the sights of Anor Londo that he had to take a look. I, however, wished to go here all along. Now, the circumstances are far from ideal, given that I'm locked in a cell, but that can be solved."

"What do you want here?"

"Sorceries! I'm a sorcerer, in case you couldn't tell." The man held out an old wooden staff, accentuating his point. "This library is massive, and Seath has knowledge on nearly every topic possible! Now, finding what you're looking for is a bit of a challenge, but Seath spent copious amounts of time researching and creating his own vein of sorceries. He had many failed attempts, hence the crystals scattered all about the place, but I'm confident a dragon with an infinite amount of time can have at least one success. Oh...I spoiled the surprise. Yes, Seath is a dragon. The dragon. The last dragon, as far as anyone knows. However, I know you wish to kill him...I know how."

I paused, hoping he would continue...he did not. "And how's that?"

"Glad you asked! As I'm sure you've heard, dragons, all dragons are immortal. Gwyn and his legion of knights managed to fell the through the use of lightning, as it turns out, scales are what make these mythical beasts immortal. Rip of the scales, and the flesh beneath is as mortal as you or I...well, before we became undead, that is. You'll notice a problem with that however...Seath has no scales! Now, that should make him easy to kill, but as I said, a dragon with an infinite amount of time, and an infinite amount of research, can have at least one success. Seath has created the Primordial Crystal, which grants him immortality. Destroy it, and he becomes mortal. As for the Crystal's whereabouts...Seath would keep this hidden. He is a cunning dragon, he wouldn't leave such a precious object in this library, no no no. It would be near here, however. If it were to ever be shattered, he would need to be close enough to repair it, if that is indeed possible."

"So...we shatter the Crystal, and then we can kill Seath?"

"Precisely! Now, I'm not going to ask why you wish to pit yourselves against a dragon, perhaps that's just what you young undeads do in your spare time. However, I've told you all I know. Find a secret passage of some sort near the Archives, and I'm sure the Primordial Crystal isn't far behind. Now, I don't suppose you have the key to help me out of this cell?"

I walked towards the door, still wary of the two beasts in the far corner of the room. They still didn't appear to be hostile...at least not for now. I tried every single key we'd collected in Lordran, even one's we'd already found a use for. However, none of them fit the lock...it seemed to be a special design.

Logan waved it off. "I'm an old man. I'm wise but not too strong. I'll find a way out of this, now that you've cleared the way out. Stay strong, travellers."

He waved us off, the two of us walking back towards the spiral staircase. We ascended it again, this time armed, eventually making our way to the ladder at the very top. This time, however, the large key we'd found fit the door perfectly, sliding open to reveal a long hallway. To the right, a massive field sprawled out before us...ending abruptly at what had to be something of Seath's own creation. A massive pile of Crystals was at the far end, some of them several stories tall in size.

Resa looked to me, both of us stopping to take in the peculiar sight. "You think...if someone were to try and create an immortality crystal, there'd be a couple failures, yes?" I nodded, so she continued. "And you think, Seath would never expect someone to go through this door...at least, not someone he'd be worried about attacking him?" Again, I nodded. "So it seems like...this might be a place to start."

I nodded, pointing towards a couple outlets on the side of the Archive wall. One was fairly close to us, a large platform with a doorway. On it was a bonfire...that would be a fairly useful destination. There was another doorway, this one much further back, and with only wooden scaffolding to support it. I couldn't see a way down...but it was there for a reason. I pointed it out for my sister. "We need to get to there. That should be our first objective. We'll figure out the rest later."

She took my hand, moving it towards the bonfire. "No...we need to get to there first. I'm not ending up back in that cell if something goes wrong. Once we're out of there, then maybe we worry about killing a dragon. Fair?"

"Fair."

The two of us kept down the path, taking on a few of the crystalline undead that served to act as guards. Perhaps that was another of Seath's experiments...weaponizing the undead. I shuddered at the thought, that that's what could have happened to us if we didn't break free from our cell.

We broke through the undead, eventually reaching a door that had to lead back into the Archives. "So, go straight for the bonfire?"

"Please. The sooner we're safe, the better."

I nodded, pushing the door open. By the looks of things, we were on the third floor of the Archives, and I knew that the bonfire would be on the ground. I looked around, trying to find some way down to the second, and eventually the first floor.

"Follow me!" Resa rushed past me, sprinting towards the center of the Archives. It seemed we were on an opposite side, the space where the elevator was now replaced by the bonfire. This place was indeed massive...I'm sure we could find information on whatever we wanted, if we had an eternity to read it all. I guess we did...I had better ways to spend it.

I followed after Resa, my sister finding the stairway that led to the second floor. Undead were starting to chase us now, even one of those damnable casters picking up on our antics. It didn't matter...all we had to do was reach the bonfire. Once we hit the second floor, it was easy to find out path to the first floor, the same grand staircase present on either side of the Archives.

We were on the home stretch now, the bonfire right in front of both of us. I felt an arrow pierce my shoulder, clearly empowered by the caster's energy. I turned around, holding up my shield. I didn't have to get to the bonfire, only Resa. I just had to make sure she made it safely. As arrows rained down on us, I did my best to catch as many with my shield as I could, each one sending me -

My mind reeled, and I found myself sitting next to Resa at the bonfire. She was on her back, her arms and legs splayed out in relaxation. "Let's just take a breather...I think we've earned it."

I nodded, setting my armaments to the side and lying down on my back. "Agreed."


	31. Chapter 31

**Flynn**

 **SL78 - 35 VIT - 23 ATT - 23 END - 36 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL78 - 23 VIT - 23 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 29 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 39 FTH**

 **Resa**

We knew where we needed to go...that wasn't the hard part. From what we'd seen back on the breezeway, the secret exit that led to the strange crystal formation was to the right side of the library. However, that was about all we knew...getting there was another story entirely. This place was massive...I didn't explore even a small portion of it before I happened to run into Seath, and now we were somewhere else entirely. Finding our way out of this would be a hassle, even with our destination in mind.

"Alright brother...ready to go?"

He nodded, sitting back upright. I was glad to be back with Flynn...everything seemed to go better when he was by my side. However, we now had a complicated situation ahead of us once we got to the First Flame, neither of us having a clear plan on what we wanted to do. All I could hope for was that we would see a sign...something that made the decision clear. Until then, however, all we could do was push ourselves towards that situation.

The two of us got up from the bonfire, ready for our expedition. I had no clue where to start...this place was massive. Towering staircases stood in the middle of the floor, providing access to opposing sides of the Archives. However, those were easily two floors above us, maybe even three or four. If we were looking for a secret passage, it would take us a while.

"Let's start with the right wall. A switch of some sort. I don't know...I'm grasping for something, Resa."

"I...yeah, I get it. Can we seriously try every book though. There's a reason Logan said you could spend an eternity here...maybe even several. I can only hope it's something more obvious than one specific book. This place is a mess, I doubt it could be that." In truth, it was. Though the bookcases were stuffed to the brim with knowledge, even more books were scattered across the floor, perhaps by raiders seeking a specific topic, or maybe even Seath himself shucked books that didn't interest him. If this was his state of living, I doubt a specific book could be the key to such an important location...the source of his borrowed immortality. "Let's try for something more...direct? I don't know."

"Alright then. Lead the way, and I'll follow. We've got company though, and I don't think they're a fan of guests."

Undead were starting to pick up on our conversation, crystalline masses marching towards us. I'd gotten pretty adept at fighting them before I was locked up in that cell...I could only assume Flynn had a similar situation. I hurled a lightning spear at an archer from afar, a second one being all it took to finish it off. While I handed another archer, Flynn set to work dealing with the swordsmen, his demon blade overwhelming them easily. I noticed he seemed to prefer it over the Golem Axe. I could only assume that meant he'd visited Andre, and put the titanite slab to use. I'm glad he found it...I didn't know if he could find something in the bottomless box that he'd never seen put there.

Once the floor was cleared, we adventured up to the second floor, and then the third, now returning to the level we'd escaped to. Now, however, there was one of those odd casters, dancing about with its decorative staff. I hated these things, even more than the previous ones we'd encountered earlier in our adventure. They ran, they hid, they teleported, never fighting, always escaping.

"Don't worry...I've got these figured out. Give me some space, and it'll be down in no time." Flynn charged towards the caster, the foe's staff raised as a blast of energy arced from the tip of its staff. Flynn shrugged off the blow, most of it absorbed by his shield, sending his axe into the caster's side. Meanwhile, I did as he requested, taking care of the few undead that were still around with relative ease. When I turned back, the caster had almost disappeared...until Flynn wrapped his chaos whip around it, forcing it back to where it was. From there, it was a simple execution, Flynn's demon blade ending its life promptly.

"Impressive, brother. I'm glad you figured that out...I don't want to talk about how long it took me to fell one on my own."

He chuckled. "I'm sure there will be more. If you'd like to take a stab at one, be my guest."

"I'll consider it." The third floor was now clear...or at least, most of it. It seemed this floor connected with the other side, a long hallway leading down to the far end. There, I could see an archer hiding in the wings, two of my lightning spears making quick work of it. I turned back to where we currently were. This was the floor that had the central staircases, leading from the third floor to the fourth. Or, in our case, the fourth floor to the third...it was facing the wrong direction. We needed to be over on that side, however, if we wanted to find any sort of secret passage...we knew it was on that side of the building, at least. Perhaps the other half of the Archives would give us a better clue.

Flynn followed behind me as I moved across the hallway, opening back out to a reasonably familiar location. It did indeed confirm that yes, this was where we'd first come in, and that we weren't in some completely separate-yet-identical building. Thankfully, this half of the building also had another staircase at this floor, something I hadn't noticed from the first time I went through this place. Even better, it was rotated the correct way, allowing us to use it from this position. I wasn't quite sure how that would help us yet, or even if it would...but it was a start.

The two of us ascended the staircase, Flynn taking care of one of the crystalline undead while I fended off two archers, one of which being on the other side of the building. I was beginning to run out of lightning spears...with any luck, we'd find where we needed to go before that became an issue.

We were on the top floor now...or at least the top accessible floor. I could see more above us, and yet saw no way for anyone to reach them. Why they were there, or what they were there for, was a mystery. Even worse, however, was the fact that it seemed like this floor didn't go anywhere. I searched for any sort of lever, pulley, gear...anything, but came up short.

"Nothing. What now? Were we wrong? Or are we just outsmarted."

Flynn pointed across the way, to where I'd taken out one of the archers. "There has to be a way that undead got there...there has to be some way we can get there. Something to, I dunno, rotate the stairs? Sounds impossible, I know."

I nodded my agreement, but started descending the staircase just in case. I stopped at something that I'd passed by before, assuming it was merely an architectural choice. The stairs had a widened part in the middle, a momentary flat part halfway between the floors. I hadn't noticed it before, but there seemed to be seams in the floor...panels.

I stepped on the left one, feeling the ground depress beneath my foot. Instantly, the entire structure began to rotate, the center staying somewhat stable due to its positioning. However, the staircase spun completely around, coming to a halt facing the opposite direction from before. Flynn was still up there...it seemed like I was in for more of this.

I stepped on the right panel now, feeling it depress as well. In due time, I was back around again, Flynn now boarding the staircase. "I guess it isn't so crazy after all...this building seems more advanced than anywhere else we've been. Elaborate elevators, rotating staircases...this definitely seems like the creation of a being with too much time."

"Well soon enough, that might not be the case. We've got a mission, after all. For Gwynevere." I nodded...Flynn was right. We'd been killing for so long I tried not to stop and think about the impact it might have, but Seath was clearly a well-established being. His removal from this world would have consequences, though they might very well pale in comparison to what happens when we meet Gwyn.

I stepped on the left panel one more time, arriving back where i was just a moment ago. The two of us climbed up the rest of the staircase, arriving on the other side of the top floor. This seemed to be more promising, a long hallway extending down towards the other side of the building. There was one hollow in our way, a fact that was quickly taken care of by my lightning spears. With the area clear, we trekked down towards the other side, the hallway opening back up to the grand main area.

On the other side of the floor was another one of those casters...though at least it seemed alone this time, save for one archer that I took care of. Flynn quickly took down the caster, sending his chaos whip across the entire floor to wrap around our foe, dragging it back towards us. Once it arrived, he plunged his axe into it several times until it finally faded away...and not because it was attempting to escape.

"I can take this floor, if you want to take the one below us. If there is a clue, it has to be here, or else we've missed it."

"Sounds good. You'll hear me if I find something."

The two of us moved onto the stairway, now accessible from the higher floor, Flynn descending to the far side of the lower floor. Once he was off I rotated the contraption around, climbing up to the top floor and immediately searching for a clue.

There were quite a lot of books here...that was a massive understatement, but it was true. Quite a bit of it seemed to be focused on sorceries, specifically, creating them. I didn't bother to read any of them, but the titles themselves seemed to be pages of bound notes almost as often as it was a published work. What Logan had said earlier rang true...give a dragon an eternity, and there's sure to be a few successes. While Seath obviously had the Primordial Crystal, it seemed likely that we would also be squaring off against a competent spellcaster, likely the strongest we'd ever faced...perhaps that we'd also ever face.

As for hints towards some sort of secret passage, however, I could find nothing. I was starting to give up hope until I heard a shifting from beneath me. It wasn't the floor...it was something beyond the floor.

"Found something?"

"I...yeah. Get down here."

I hurried towards the stairs, peeking behind to see what had happened before I'd even started rotating yet. A section of the bookcase was pushed out, a second section vacant right next to it. Behind it, however, was a short hallway...it was in the right spot, pointing the right direction. That was the most promising lead we'd found yet.

As I descended the rotated stairs, Flynn explained. "There was a lever on the edge of the bookshelf, the handle painted to look like the cover of a book. I pushed it accidentally, and then this happened."

"And here I've been telling you to be more careful...for once, I'm glad you weren't. Ready to explore?"

Flynn nodded, the two of us moving into the secret passage. It appeared to be fairly cramped, a small raised platform surrounded on three sides by walls, a low ceiling above. There was a ladder leading down, however, granting us access to whatever was beneath us. From what I could see, it appeared to be even more books...this didn't surprise me in the slightest.

Both of us descended, landing on the floor below. Behind us was a very prominent lever, a wooden wall segment of the wall standing apart from the stone surrounding it. In the distance, I could hear faint noises...I wasn't quite sure what to make of them just yet.

We were this far, and we knew how to get back here if we needed to...I wanted to know what the lever did. I grasped the metal handle and pulled it to the other side. As soon as I let go, the wooden wall started shifting, pushing outwards more and more until it swung outwards. What was on the other side was quite familiar...the main room. We were on the ground floor, the bonfire just a few steps away if we needed it.

"This must be how Seath's underlings travel to that crystal structure, but they closed it when we got locked away just in case. Hopefully we won't have to worry about it again...I'm ready for the bonfire, you?"

Flynn nodded, the two of us walking towards it. "I've used quite a few chaos whips. It would be good to take a rest."

"I'm struggling to cast lightning spears as well. Let's take a short break, and explore once we're ready." I took a seat by the bonfire, leaning back against the stone walls. We'd made quite a bit of progress...if we had to do it all over again, at least we knew how.

* * *

 **Flynn**

Our break was short...it needed to be. I wanted to rid ourselves of Seath as quickly as we could, especially after he'd locked us in that prison. I had no doubt that the passage we'd opened up was a step in the right direction, which meant that we needed to explore it as quickly as possible.

The two of us ventured back towards the opened bookcase, back into the alcove we'd found. The noises from earlier were even louder than before...I was curious just what else was back here. The area seemed to be segmented into three separate areas, a main room that we'd landed in, and two offshoots we had yet to explore. The noises seemed to come from one of them, and I made my way towards them.

A familiar face greeted me...or rather, a familiar hat. Logan was furiously studying one of Seath's books, with what appeared to be several dozen hastily thrown on the floor around him. When he looked up at me, I finally saw his face...a sight I wish I could have forgotten. His skin was marred, wrinkled, and yellowed...classic signs of hollowing.

"Ah, you've found me. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

I nodded, keeping my distance from the hollowing undead. "I suppose so. What are you…"

"Sorceries, young lad. Sorceries. Seath is a master sorcerer as one would expect from a dragon such as himself. However, Seath is also a scientist, creating his own unique spells. I want them. All of them. Leave me. I have no time for you now." As he was saying this, his entire demeanor changed as well; hands clutching his book, his head ducking away from me, his entire posture closing up. Whatever was wrong with him...I didn't want to interfere.

Resa had joined as well, but I simply shook my head, gesturing towards the doorway we'd entered from. After watching Laurentius hollow right in front of my eyes, I didn't know if I could manage the same thing again, even if it was someone we'd just met. It felt terrible, simply abandoning him to his fate...but that was the current best option, at least for me.

We turned our attention back towards the other room we hadn't visited quite yet, this one much larger than where we'd just come from. It seemed in an equal state of disarray, however, multiple bookshelves missing most of their belongings while the floor seemed to swallow them up. Various knick-knacks lined the walls, something that certainly wasn't the case elsewhere. This must have been Seath's prized collection, where he kept belongings he didn't want random intruders finding. I pilfered through what I could, finding little that interested me...except yet another ember.

This one glowed a brilliant, almost impossible white. In an odd way, it reminded me of the crystals that infested this place, the way the reflections seemed to take on geometric, triangular patterns. It was truly bizarre...which must mean it was extremely special. I pocketed it away without much of a fuss - it's not like Seath would be around to notice its absence.

At the same time, the entire room started to rumble. I looked towards Resa, her right foot sunk down into the floor with a look of surprise across her face. At the same time, a different part of the floor began to drop down, gravity taking over for a second until I heard a clunk once it hit the bottom. Books began to slide off of the floor-now-ramp, likely creating a pile at the bottom that I couldn't see from this angle.

An undead charged up the ramp a moment later, turning on a dime and sending its sword plunging into Resa's side while both of us were still caught off guard. She cried out in pain as I charged in behind the undead, pulling out my demon blade and sending it slamming towards the ground...through it. Crystals flew everywhere as its arm fell off, another horizontal swing sending it flying into one of the bookcases with enough force to knock it over. While it was trying to get up, Resa pounced on it, holy power coursing through its side as her blade struck the undead. It was dead in the blink of an eye, gone almost as soon as it was found.

"One moment...I need to recover." Resa reached for her Estus flask, the bloody wound in her side closing up as the restorative liquid worked its way through her. Once we were both ready, I descended the ramp first, coming down to the lower floor. What greeted me was a wonderful sight, an opening to the outdoors right in front of us. Outside was the pitch black that I was expecting, the sunken sun of Anor Londo plunging the land into eternal darkness. However, if we were where I thought we were, I wasn't quite worried about it.

I stepped out the door, finding ourselves in a familiar courtyard, a very recognizable crystal structure to my right. On the ground seemed to be...living crystals, I suppose was what they looked like. Massive chunks of crystal with noticeable arms and legs, moving about. I hadn't noticed them before, though perhaps Seath hadn't deployed them yet, a sort of elite guard to keep us out of his most precious realm and away from the Primordial Crystal.

Resa came out beside me, looking out over the area. "We're not far now. The Crystal has to be back there, I just know it."

"Well then let's not waste any time." I descended the ladder positioned next to the wooden platform we'd emerged on, landing on the grass at the bottom. I started moving towards the crystalline mass, trying to circumvent the guardians that had taken up residence since last we were here. Thankfully, they were fairly slow, so much so that even I was able to get around the three of them that barred our way with only a slight amount of trouble.

Now that we were closer to the crystalline structure, I could tell that it was far more than just a mass...it was a cavern. The center of it contained small cavity that wormed its way downwards, large slabs of crystal becoming our sole walking surface. It wasn't the easiest thing to walk on, my heavy metal armor struggling to grip to the slick surface. Resa seemed as light on her feet as ever, deftly making a sharp turn at the bottom of the current crystal only to back up. "Uhh, Flynn...looks like we can't evade all of them."

I did my best to hurry down to the end of the crystal, jamming my sword into the ground to aid in my descent. At the bottom I turned to where Resa'd just came from...another crystal. She was right, this one was very clearly in our way, and there was little we could do to circumnavigate it. "If we can't go around it, then it looks like we'll go through it."

I rushed forward, hiding behind my shield as I slammed into it, only to be sent backwards. It was as if its entire body was deflective, pushing me back just as hard as I ran into it. Experimentally, I took my axe and slammed it into its side, managing to cut it slightly before my axe flew away from the crystalline carapace.

Resa leaped into the fray, getting behind the crystal now that I had its attention, attempting to plunge her blade into the hardened hide. Only the tip made it through, however, before the entire blade grinded to a halt. She jabbed it several more times, each time making slightly more progress, still relatively negligible.

The crystal slammed its fists down on my shield, sending me staggering backwards. It hit hard, extremely so, very similar to all the crystalline undead we'd found around here. However, thankfully, it didn't appear to have any inherent magical abilities, sorceries or otherwise. If all we had to do was avoid its swings, we could do this.

I took my demon blade, building up momentum by hoisting it over my shoulder, a wide arc overhead forming as I sent it crashing to the ground. An acceptable tear formed in its shoulder, amplifying greatly when I repeated the maneuver. It still held strong, however, a few powerful punches bashing into my hastily-grabbed shield.

Eventually, we took it down, numerous blows piling up on top of each other until the crystal shattered into countless pieces. Now that it was clear, we kept going, weaving our way around the crystalline paths into a large, open room.

There was something, no, somethings, in here that I certainly hadn't expected to see...butterflies. Not standard ones, of course, but visually identical to the massive one we'd fought in the Garden oh-so-long ago. I could see two of them, one very close to us, the other on the far side of the massive cavern we'd found ourselves in. Crystals were tossed every which way, a light dusting of snow coming from...somewhere. It seemed to come from the ceiling, somehow...I didn't want to try and make sense of it. Nothing here made sense. These butterflies seemed relatively peaceable, the two of them quietly perched atop various crystal outcroppings.

We descended several tumbled crystals, eventually landing on what could be taken to be the ground floor. However, that was where we stopped...it didn't look like there was any way to get further. At the far end of the cavern, I could point out what looked to be a continuation to the cavern, but it was inaccessible. Perhaps crystals that had once served as walkways had now fallen, or perhaps Seath just simply didn't have need for them...I knew that some dragons could fly, but not all. I couldn't remember if Seath had wings or not to know which type he fell under.

"What now, sister? Looks like this was a dead end."

She shook her head, her eyes squinted at the ground. "It seems Seath wants it to appear that way...but I have a hunch. Do you have anything you wouldn't mind losing?"

I nodded, pulling out one of the smallest titanite fragments I had on hand. I kept a couple just in case we had a need for them earlier in our travels, but they didn't do me much good now, not with how powerful the demon blade had become. "What do you want me to do with it?"

She walked towards the far end of the ground, pointing to what seemed to be nothing. "You see the snow, how it falls to the ground...except right here?" It might be stupid to even think of it, but I think we can't see the path forward. Toss the rock just...somewhere close to there."

I nodded, still unable to see just what she was pointing at, but willing to sacrifice something so inconsequential just in case she was right. I tossed the stone just a few feet out from where she was pointing...and it sat there, as if hovering in midair.

"Alright Resa...good eye. You want to lead?"

She nodded, tentatively stepping out onto the open air, grabbing the stone. She tossed it a few more feet forward as it landed on seemingly nothing again, the process repeating as we worked our way along this invisible platform. Up ahead was another crystal, presumably our destination. This turned out to be true the closer we got, eventually Resa picking up the titanite shard and making the final few steps to the crystal. I wasn't far behind, coming up behind her to find another crystal...a living one, that is. Unlike all the others I'd seen, this one was more golden in color as compared to the bluish that we'd seen thus far. To complicate matters, the crystal we were on was terribly angled, barely walkable at best and a death trap at worst, but the far end of the crystal had some flat ground that looked appealing.

Resa had a different idea, however, taking a few steps backwards onto the invisible walkway, now leaving me up front. The crystal approached us, itself slipping on the ground, but not enough to actually fall.

"We can't fight it, not here brother. However, we can try and knock it off...might be the only way to deal with it right now."

I understood now...she was clever. The crystalline golem reached me now, both arms raising above its head to slam into my shield. This one hit much harder than before, my knees buckling under the raw strength bearing down on me, but not enough to break. I rushed forward into a full-body tackle, knocking both the golem and myself to the ground. We were sliding down the ground now, the awkward slope of the crystal potentially consuming both of us...but not if I had a choice in the matter. I reached for my axe, turning about just in time as I felt my body descend into free fall, thrusting my axe into the crystalline structure.

It bounced off...I should have expected this. The ground started to fall further from view as both the golem and I fell into the abyss below...I had one last plan. I had no clue if it would work.

I kindled my pyromancy flame, the familiar whip flying from my hand and towards the massive crystal. I commanded it to coil around the entire thing, an order that it obeyed flawlessly. I was secured now, hanging very far below the crystal, but not falling any further. The only thing keeping me from falling was my own pyromancy, which i now had to climb up...wouldn't be fun.

I stowed my axe away, grasping my own fiery braid as I let out a cry of anguish...it hurt about as much as I expected it to. The whip aided my ascent, however, forming small circles to allow for my hands and feet, acting more like a rope than a whip...a very painful rope. Slowly but steadily, I made my way back up, eventually grasping the crystal rather than the braid of fire. Resa was there to take my hand, her blade securely plunged into the crystal, her aid allowing me to climb back to safety as I dismissed the pyromancy.

"That...that could have gone better. Still, you made it out alive, so I can't complain."

"Hey, you were the one saying you were happy I wasn't being careful. I'm just trying to keep that reputation going."

She chuckled, the two of us now advancing towards the far end of the crystal. Here, we were met with another dead end...or so it seemed. Resa once again had the keen eye, tossing the titanite shard out after a minute or two of inspection. Once again, the shard appeared to hover in mid air, Resa following it out with me close behind. We were making our way towards the far end of the pit now, the second of the butterflies perched to our left. Still, they both seemed peaceable...I just wanted to know why they were there.

Eventually, we made it to the far side, Resa picking up the shard and handing it to me. We were in a narrow passageway now, a passageway that opened up into yet another cavern. Unlike before, though, this one had a defined floor, walls, ceiling...and clams. Massive, living clams. There were maybe a half dozen of them, each with a quintet of spindly legs that started moving towards us, the two halves of the clamshell acting like some sort of mouth.

"Hold on...I've got this one. You might want to get out of the way...fire hazard." Resa nodded, taking several steps behind me as I moved towards the group of clams coming towards me. I called forth my pyromancy flame...time for a show.

I plunged my hand into the ground, fire erupting around me in bursts, the crystalline ground starting to burst with lava, the clams catching the worst of it. It felt like I was getting more control over this every time I cast it, the fire now starting to clump up around where I wanted it, rather than simply erupting haphazardly around my general vicinity.

The clams burned down right as I was struggling to maintain the pyromancy, my flame starting to flicker and fade as I cut it off. However, they were all dead, each and every one of them...that was what mattered.

"Good job, brother. You're quite handy in a pinch, you know that?"

"I do try, sister...I do try. Now, where is this Crystal...it can't be far."

Resa simply shrugged. "We don't even know what it looks like. It might have been hiding in plain sight back there, or it might have…" Her voice trailed off, her hand pointing forwards. Up ahead was a choke point, another chamber in this cave behind it. I could see a shimmering object at the very rear of the chamber, something that very clearly stood out even amongst the crystals surrounding it. "It could just be that."

It couldn't be that easy...it couldn't. With the coast clear, I advanced in front of my sister towards this last chamber, finding it to be almost completely empty...except for the Crystal, of course. It wasn't as large as I had expected it to be, considering it was capable of granting a dragon immortality. It wasn't even a crystal, in the traditional sense, but rather two thin, crystalline strands almost invisible connecting together, the two of them only slightly taller than I was. It looked so brittle...so fragile. I had a hard time believing that something this frail could hold so much power.

Just then, a massive crash came from behind us, right as I was raising my axe to slice the Crystal. I turned around...there was Seath. Apparently, he hadn't been far behind us in the caves, or perhaps even chased us here once he found out our location. Whatever the case was, it was very evident he was enraged, the tentacle-like mass he had for a lower writhing towards us as the draconian upper half pried its way through the narrowest part of the cave.

Resa turned to me, her expression dead serious. "Break it. Now. Then we worry about getting out of here."

She didn't have to tell me twice...that was already my plan. With Seath still squeezing through towards this chamber, that gave me more than enough time to reach for the demon blade on my back and send it crashing into the Primordial Crystal. It was about as fragile as it looked, shattering into an infinitesimal number of pieces as soon as my blade collided with it.

From behind me, Seath let out a wail...I wasn't sure if it was one of pain or one of anger. He was now charging straight for us now, the tentacles propelling him towards us faster than we could ever hope to avoid. Though he wasn't that fast, he was massive...and it seemed like he knew that. I held up my shield, standing in front of Resa to shoulder some of the blow, both of us being pushed against the wall of the chamber.

"My Crystal! What have you done to my Crystal!" Seath backed off, swiping his arms wildly along the ground as if searching for us. Resa answered with a lightning spear, the projectile flying straight for Seath's face, hitting him straight on the nose. Yet another wail of pain echoed through the caves...this one was clearly a wail of pain.

"You've broken it! You will...die!" A beam of energy erupted from Seath's mouth, painting the ground with jagged, sharp crystals in a long line headed straight towards us. This...this was the being I'd fought earlier. A being capable of felling me with barely a struggle, and yet I'd had the bright idea to come back for more. Resa and I dove out of the way in different directions, a stray crystal forming through my leg, keeping me to the ground.

Oddly enough...it was as if Seath didn't notice, or perhaps didn't care to notice. He wasn't facing towards Resa, either...was he blind? There was no way that was the case, the way he so brutally slew me the first time. However, the erratic movements, the very clearly missed attacks...perhaps that was the case.

I tested this...I wasn't sure why, but I did. I slammed my axe into the ground in an attempt to get back to my feet, ripping out the embedded crystal beforehand. At this noise, Seath spun about, leaving Resa time to move behind him while I drew his attention the best way I knew how...fire.

I was on my feet, though not particularly stable. I doubted Resa could see me right now to know I was injured, but if things got too bad I'd handle the situation. For now, though, it was time to get revenge for dying to Seath earlier, now that it was at least a moderately fair fight...more so than the first round, anyways. I hurled a chaos fireball at him, the lava splashing against his globular lower half. Compared to the lightning, this seemed to invoke much less of a reaction, several more following in the initial's wake...nothing. Perhaps he wasn't as vulnerable as I thought.

However, against lighting, he was clearly weak. Resa fired off spear after spear, running around him to avoid being noticed, each one singing the dragon's hide where it landed. I severed as the distraction, not the offense, generating enough noise with my shield slamming into the ground to keep the dragon confused, unable to pinpoint the source of his pain.

He fought back though...that much was a foregone conclusion. He seemed to specialize in the crystal sorceries, multiple breath attacks leaving more strips of crystalline landscape to avoid, slowly boxing me in into a tighter and tighter area. I did what I could between my last remaining fireballs to clear my way out, hacking at the crystals with my axe to open up more of the chamber.

Eventually, the lightning spears stopped coming...it seemed Resa had finally run out. Seath seemed to react to this, the purple, insect-ike wings on his back glowing brightly, wrapping around him as his entire posture started to curl up...I didn't like this one bit. I started running away, unsure of just what was coming for us, but not wanting to find out.

Crystals...lots of them. They rained from the skies, erupted out of the ground, probably even came out of the walls...I wasn't even sure. The ones from the ground punctured my legs in multiple locations, pinning me where I stood, while the ones coming from above forced me to the ground, in turn pushing more crystals into my back. The pain was excruciating, unbearable...I couldn't manage this again. Worse, there were different crystals that I could feel...ones I didn't want to remember. I couldn't see them, but I could feel them forming on my flesh, underneath my armor, the same sensation I got when willingly cursing myself in the sewers.

"Help!" I didn't know what else I could say, didn't know what else to say, other than that simple cry. I angled my head forward, trying to get a view of the rest of the room. Seath seemed to be fairly spent, most of his energy having gone into what had just occurred. Somehow, Resa had survived it, running towards me along the outer wall of the chamber, talisman already in hand. I could feel the restorative miracle already begin working on me, not that there was much it could do...most of the wounds couldn't close, given that they were filled. Once Resa made her way to me, she started helping me off the ground, pulling my arms out of the crystals, and then my legs. Once I was free, I could feel the miracle really start to take effect, another one coming my way to expedite the process.

"What now...there's nothing left I can do."

"We fight with our blades...the way we always have. He's clearly more injured than he's letting on. An attack like that isn't something that you'd do if you thought you were winning. He's clearly spent...it's our time to strike."

"I'll follow your lead, if you've got one."

I nodded, grabbing my axe. "I do. It's called cut our way out of this." I rushed forward, the mass of crystals that had just been spawned shattering as I ran through them, Resa following behind. The noise wasn't lost on Seath, the dragon facing towards me, his hand falling down right in front of me. A slight shockwave rippled outwards, but no crystals...thank goodness.

"Vault me. I'm going up."

I simply nodded...it was better not to ask questions. I slid to a stop, taking my greatshield and holding it up behind me, already seeing Resa mid-jump. As soon as she hit my shield I pushed upwards, propelling her forwards and into the sky. Her blade sunk into Seath's arm, conveniently lowered to a height where we could reach it, thick red blood starting to pour from the wound.

Seath reacted violently, taking his other hand and trying to swat Resa away, giving me plenty of time to give him something else to worry about. I buried the demon blade in his lower half, the titanite-rich blade sinking through the draconian flesh as easy as ever. He felt that...the roar of anger that came afterwards told me that much. I pulled the blood-soaked blade out, now chopping at one of the tentacles to my side.

There wasn't much Seath could do, not with both of us attacking him. Resa had climbed her way onto his shoulder, now plunging her holy blade straight into the dragon's long neck. Seath's attacks became much more wild now, blasts of crystal breath spraying on the walls as the two of us worked to subdue him, closed fists smashing against the ground time and time again...I wasn't that worried about them. Whenever one got close enough to me to actually be threatening, I simply slammed my blade down on his hand, forcing a quick retreat.

We took him down...it wasn't easy, but we took him down. The bloodied dragon let out one final howl of pain, falling to the ground shortly thereafter. Slowly, he began fading into souls, Resa landing on the ground by his neck no worse for wear. We'd done it...we slew a dragon.

As was expected, what remained was little more than a flickering white soul. Almost lost amidst the brilliant white cavern. In the distance, I heard something else shattering...the Primordial Crystal. The entire area around it seemed to crumble away, revealing a long-hidden bonfire that Seath had apparently covered up with his most-prized creation.

Resa grabbed the soul, the two of us walking towards the bonfire. "That...let's not have to go through that again, deal?"

"Deal."

I held out my hand, the bonfire fire bursting with life once again. I envisioned the bonfire at Firelink Shrine...our journey was almost at an end.

* * *

Something was different here...I wasn't quite sure what. As soon as I set foot in Firelink Shrine, which once felt like a bastion of life, I just had a sense of unease. I could tell Resa felt it as well...it wasn't just me. Perhaps this linked back to the black eye orb Resa held, but we would know if that was active...it made its presence known last time.

I wanted to get out of here, and fast. I moved quickly towards the black abyss we'd gone through several times now, not even pausing to consider the options...I just leaped in. Darkness consumed me once more, light arriving after a brief period of weightlessness. What I saw, however, shook me to the core.

The door...was open.

 **One more chapter left. I'm looking forward to writing it, I hope you're looking forward to reading it. Stay tuned.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Flynn**

 **SL80 - 37 VIT - 23 ATT - 23 END - 36 STR - 12 DEX - 10 RES - 9 INT - 11 FTH**

 **Resa**

 **SL80 - 23 VIT - 23 ATT - 15 END - 12 STR - 30 DEX - 11 RES - 8 INT - 40 FTH**

 **Resa**

The door was...open. I'd noticed that something was off when we'd gotten back to Firelink, and now...I suppose that made sense. Clearly we hadn't opened it, Seath's soul still held safely at my side. Someone else had, however...but who? I thought back to the black eye orb I still held onto. The two events had to be related...there was no way they weren't.

Flynn turned to me. "We might as well do what we came here to do...unless someone else beat us to it. Should put Seath's soul in the Lordvessel...just in case it matters.

It made sense, in a way. I didn't know what sort of strange powers were being the now-open door, and whether they would care if we'd collected the pieces for the Lordvessel or not. I took Seath's soul from my belongings, tossing it into the Lordvessel.

The door rumbled with power, the frame flashing white for a brief moment before pushing outwards, both halves slamming against the wall. They were already there, however...I'm sure it would have had a much greater effect if the door was shut, as it should have been. After that, it seemed to go quiet...we were ready.

Behind the door, however, was quite the odd sight. Wisps of humanity all cloaked in armor walked across the stairway that was hidden behind the door, each carrying various weapons...swords, axes, even the stray greatsword. Their form was mostly indiscernible as their wispy gray selves faded in and out of reality. And yet, at the same time...the shape of their armor, the curvature of their weapons...it seemed familiar. I couldn't quite place it, though...not from the vague forms in front of me. Whatever they were, they seemed to not mind us at all from afar, simply walking across the stairs in complete silence...creepy.

Flynn was the first to start venturing down the stairs, his axe and shield very much ready for combat. He took it slowly, steadily, each footstep waiting to see just what the ghostly figures that now surrounded us did. However, there seemed to be no reaction...I didn't quite know if that was a good or bad thing.

At the bottom of the stairs we were met with a desolate wasteland, sandy dunes rising and falling in front of us, stone pillars crumbled and fallen in the middle of them. However, there seemed to be no other creatures here...perhaps whomever had opened the doors had no intention of finding what was inside. If that was the case, why...and how? Chills ran down my spine even amidst the dry heat. Something wasn't right here, and the fact that I had no clue just what was wrong was starting to drive me insane.

Flynn continued forward, eventually coming up to the first downed pillar. From behind it, I heard a shift in the sand, something that didn't come from either of us. "Be careful. Something's here."

Not just any something...a black knight. It deftly slipped around the corner of the pillar, its weapon coming down hard on Flynn's shield. He was ready, however, holding fast from the strike, shoving his shield forward to knock the knight off balance. That was what the ghosts had reminded me of...black knights. The fragments of their armor perfectly matched the foe before us, I just hadn't recognized it. It had been a while since we'd seen one, and I'd done my best to push the memory from my mind.

Flynn kept on the offense, pushing forward even more, sending the knight toppling into the sand. He slammed his greatshield down on top of it, stunning the knight just long enough to get a clean attack in with his axe. I wasn't far behind, plunging my blade into its stomach before it had a chance to react.

That was all I got a chance to do, however, the knight throwing both of us away and leaping back to its feet, charging towards Flynn. The sword now seemed to moved faster than before, able to weave around Flynn's massive shield. It wasn't necessarily getting deep cuts in, but slashes started to form on Flynn's armor, blood trickling from the wounds. At the same time the knight fended me off, its shield blocking my attacks from behind.

I finally got one good strike in, weaving my holy blade arounds its shield and plunging it into its side, holy power surging through the knight once again. This opened it up to attack, Flynn switching to his demon blade, smashing the giant sword into the knight. From there, we took it down...there was little it could do to fend off the both of us.

"That...that was rough. I know it's been a while, but they didn't fight like that earlier, did they?"

I shook my head. "It's tough to remember, but I don't think so. Do you need healing?"

He shook his head, reaching for his Estus flask. "Don't forget, we've still got Gwyn ahead of us. Save your miracles for when we need them, and I'll do the same with my pyromancies. If that knight put up that much of a fight just to defend Gwyn, Gwyn's definitely no slouch himself."

That was a fair point, the two of us walking further along the path, winding our way around the sand dunes and the pillars. Up ahead, another knight made itself known, this one wielding a massive two-handed sword, very similar to the one we'd fought so long ago in the undead church. It came charging towards us, Flynn once again taking the front while I stuck behind him...there really was no reason for that now, though. Flynn was right, my lightning spears would be more valuable against Gwyn than they would these guards. My blade, however, never ran out of energy.

Flynn grabbed his demon blade, putting his shield to the side for now. "I'll fight it they way it wants to fight...because why not?"

"Just...don't get yourself killed. Just this once, we might actually be rushed for time. I don't know what's happened, but we need to find out soon."

Flynn nodded, taking the initiative on the knight and swinging his sword up overhead. The knight blocked it, however, his own leg lifting up to kick my brother in the chest. I rushed up behind him as Flynn fell to the ground, ducking low to get a clean cut on the knight's leg while it was open. I continued dashing behind it, spinning about and landing another strike on its shoulder before retreating further.

The knight turned on me now, bringing its sword up overhead and slamming it down beside me, a timely roll saving my leg from being separated from my waist. Flynn caming running up from behind, demon blade plunging straight through the chest of the knight to stick out the other side.

Just one...I could spare one. I reached for my talisman, dodging to the left from the ground as the still-fighting knight sent its sword plunging into the ground right where I just was. Once I was facing the sky again, I hastily formed a lightning spear, hurling it at Flynn's sword.

I couldn't remember if we'd tried this with his weapon before, but it was amazingly effective. The knight went limp as Flynn's sword momentarily coursed with lightning, giving Flynn enough time to wrench it to the right and leave a gaping hole in the knight's chest. That was all it took, the knight fading away right in front of us.

"Two down." I meekly let out, my brother helping me back up to my feet. "I dare say they're getting better...I don't want to think about what's left."

"Well, you're going to have to. I can see number three isn't even trying to hide."

He pointed off in the distance, my eyes following him. Before us, the sand dunes came to an abrupt halt, instead replaced with an expansive void with only one way across. Several broken pillars had eroding walkways connecting them, barely enough space for one person to safely walk across. On the other side, however, was what had to be the Kiln of the First Flame. It was a massive circular object of old stone, crumbling away in the center of it. This was the first time Lordran had really shown its age...if this indeed housed the First Flame, that must have meant it was around near the start of the undead curse. Though Lordran itself was crumbling away in places, nothing seemed to come close to the barren expanse before us...just how long had Gwyn been here?

Flynn pressed forward, leaving the sand dunes and moving towards the shaky platform that led us to the Kiln. It was by no means easy, having to work our way around the pillars in order to avoid falling off, but it managed...it had to. I knew that the knight was on the other side of the upcoming pillar, likely our hardest fight of the three...solely based on the terrain.

"Flynn, when we get up there, want to vault me over him? Otherwise, you're taking the knight on alone. Actually...this pillar would do." I looked up towards the pillar, both of us stopping for the time being. The pillar blocking our path to the knight wasn't particularly tall, but it would give me plenty of space to target the knight once I was above.

"Instead of me taking the risk of throwing you into nothingness...how about you just climb up. Might be a bit of a jump." He got up to the pill and took a knee, holding his shield up over his head. I approached and stepped atop it, the tip of the pillar just in barely out of reach, drawing ever-closer as Flynn got back on his feet and pushed me upward. I let him know once I had a suitable handhold on the top, pulling myself upwards until I was perched safely on top of it. The knight was on the other side, this one wielding a smaller sword like the first one, immediately noticing my presence but unsure what to do about it. Once it saw Flynn wrap his way around the pillar, however, it had its target...so did I.

I threw myself from the pillar towards the open space behind the knight, landing just behind it. I pivoted about, bashing it with my shield while I still had the element of surprise. Flynn acted on this as well, thrusting his shield forward enough to tip the knight off balance.

"Good riddance." I swung low with my sword, aiming for the ankle, managing to throw one of the knight's feet off the ground just long enough for it to start falling over. Another swipe to the side was enough to redirect its path, its body now tumbling off of the narrow pathway. That was the last we saw of it...that was the last I wanted to see of it. We pressed on, now leaving the degrading platforms and ending on a spiraling staircase that bordered the Kiln.

We weren't done, however, as two more black knights barred our path. One of these carried a weapon I absolutely didn't recognize, a long-handled spear with a bladed tip. The other, however, seemed to mirror the one we'd found in the Catacombs, a massive axe that dwarfed even what Flynn carried.

"Which one do you want?"

I turned to my brother, shrugging. "I'm guessing you want to take a stab at the...whatever that is?"

"It's called a halberd, sister. And yes. Yes I would."

"Then go for it. I'll take care of the other. Race?"

At that, I got a chuckle from him. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

That was all the convincing Flynn needed, both of us spreading out as the knights started their dual approach. Both of them started approaching Flynn, quickly changing once I circled around both of them, getting a free hit in on my target. My blade struck true as holy power surged through the metal beautifully.

The knight reacted faster than I expected, spinning about as soon as I dislodged my blade, the head of its axe colliding with my face. I was knocked to the side, another vertical slash coming quickly thereafter from so massive a weapon. I tried to dodge out of the way, but was far too disoriented from the previous blow to react fast enough. The axe dug into my shoulder, shredding the armor as if it didn't even exist and reaching nearly to the bone. The knight opted to retrieve its blade simply by kicking me away from it, sending me tumbling backwards.

I regained my composure, holding up my shield to block the next strike that came at me, my brittle shield barely able to hold back the assault. However, it finally turned the tide slightly in my favor, my sword striking out to get a quick slash in while I wasn't heavily disadvantaged. The knight backed off this time, allowing me to get yet another quick strike in before the fight reset. After that I drew back as well, both of us now on guard and wary of the other.

The knight was the next to act first, a blindingly fast horizontal swipe catching me off guard, my shield accidentally blocking it solely by accident. However, it was far from a clean block, as my arm carried through with the momentum of the axe, leaving me wide open for a follow up strike. I dove forward in anticipation, rolling around the the knight as its weapon swung at air, a quick slash on its ankle attempting to show it which one of us was in charge.

Unfortunately, that wasn't me, the knight kicking back and sending my roll wildly off center. My curl ended with me on my back rather than my feet, now very open to an attack. Again, I tumbled out of the way right as an axe landed where I just was, quickly leaping back to my feet before the knight had a chance to react. It kept up the strike, another swing coming for me that I anticipated and ducked under.

Now was my time to strike, my entire body lunging forward as Ieft a massive slash across its side that wrapped around the back where I plunged my blade through the armor. As I pulled back the knight swung again, more frantic this time, an obvious strike that I had no problems avoiding. Another slash came down this time, plunging into its side.

I didn't know if it was getting desperate or I was just learning its attacks better, but it was struggling to land even a glancing blow on me. It tried to kick me away this time, my body almost instinctively dodging out of the way and countering shortly thereafter. I perforated its armor with two more quick jabs before sliding to the side to avoid a vertical strike. I had it on the ropes now...I intended to make full use of it.

The rest of the fight was a quick close, a series of concentrated strikes followed by a dodge, a rhythm that I was beginning to get use to right until my sword hit air. The knight vanished into souls around me, and I immediately turned towards Flynn...the same had happened, the telltale white mist showing that he'd also just felled his opponent.

"I guess we can write this one up as a draw...not bad."

I nodded, moving back towards my brother, still thinking about the black eye orb. "Whomever opened that door, assuming they are the ones that left that orb...if they're here, then they're inside the - "

I immediately paused, my hairs standing on end. I felt something change...something that I wasn't aware of. Instinctively, I reached for the orb, finding that it had changed. Just like before, the eye was no wide open, a brilliant yellow glue illuminating the space around us.

I remembered what we had to do. Throw it onto the ground, and we accept the challenge. Unlike last time, however, we had no clue who was on the other side, what the terms of the challenge were...anything. And yet, we'd been issued the challenge for a reason. As dumb as it was, I wanted to accept out of curiosity more than anything else.

I held out the orb, waiting for Flynn's opinion on the matter. "Do it." That was all he needed to say...we were in this until the end. Without further contemplation I dropped the orb, watching as it fell to the ground at my feet. The world warped and distorted once more, eventually the two of us appearing at a location that was functionally the same as our own, though perhaps everything seemed more...grim.

There was nothing around except for the two of us, still on the final steps of the stairs. Whomever challenged us had to be waiting in the Kiln. Cautiously I stepped forward, wanting to know just who this mysterious person was. At the end of the staircases I made a sharp turn, walking into the entrance of the Kiln.

I couldn't believe my eyes...I didn't want to believe my eyes. A familiar suit of Astoran armor was the only other object in the room...the same suit of armor that we'd met at the beginning of all of this. Oscar of Astora.

"Greetings Flynn, Resa...I suppose if you're here you've gotten my message...and saw the pleasant surprise I left for you. You know, I didn't really like Anor Londo when I first got there...it was always just a little too bright for my liking. So, I darkened the place up, made it feel a little bit more, shall we say, homey? It's unfortunate that Gwynevere had to pay the ultimate price for that to happen...well, an illusion of her, at least."

I didn't know how to respond. This man, who had saved us from our cell back in the Asylum was now gloating over killing Gwynevere? Nothing made sense. I wanted to blame it on hollowing or something, but I didn't know if that was the case. Perhaps he was insane, not as a hollow, but as a person. I noticed something different about his belongings, something that I certainly didn't see on him earlier. He had twisted wooden staff across his back, something that seemed vaguely familiar, like I'd seen it just recently. However, try as I might, I couldn't quite place my finger on it. He had something else at his side, though, something I did recognize. It was a bundled piece of brilliant white cloth...a talisman. Where he got these, and why he had them, I wasn't quite sure I wanted to know.

"I suppose that's a bit forward of me...you probably thought Gwynevere was real. That's...a lie, truly. The being that gave you your precious Lordvessel was a mere illusion, conjured by another god that I doubt you've ever met...I killed him as well."

He paused for a moment, perhaps just to gather his thoughts...I wasn't sure. "I've been one step ahead of you the entire time, you know. Laurentius, Griggs, Lautrec...they were useful, each serving their own purpose. However, once that purpose was done, I left the scraps for you. You see, you two were my greatest creation...I saved you, do you remember that? I saved you because I wanted to watch you grow, watch just what you'd turn into...I wanted to save you for last."

He kept going, though I wanted him to stop. None of this made sense, and I didn't want it to. He seemed intent on explaining, however...I didn't have the confidence to interrupt him. He sounded insane.

"You made things too easy sometimes...you took care of Lautrec for me, as well as Petrus. Even Reah, though I don't particularly want to know how that happened. Her talisman, however, my oh my does it make miracles sing sweetly."

Now I was furious...he'd looted Reah's body? "What do you want, Oscar?"

Blindingly fast Oscar reached for the wooden staff on his back, an orb of blue energy forming at its tip and rocketing my way. I was completely caught off guard, the sorcery knocking me backwards. "You will speak when I wish for you to. As I was saying...you made some easy. Others required a bit more of a...shall we say, nudge? Kirk needed to be set against someone...that wasn't too hard. Griggs simply needed the push to find his master, a journey that he was ill-equipped to take on...I doubt he made it out of that fortress. Even Laurentius needed a push...as well as a pull." At this Oscar held up his hand, a ball of fire swelling to life. "I took it from him...he didn't put up much of a fight. I doubt he even recognizes me...nondescript Astoran armor has its perks.

"You...you...no. No. No!" Flynn started running forwards, another blast of blue energy rocketing from his staff, stopping Flynn in his tracks. Several more followed, keeping Flynn down. I was terrified...Oscar was a madman.

"Settle down, child. Your time to fight me shall come soon enough. Do not forget about why you are here. Now, where was I...yes, all the people I've brought down. Some did require a nudge in the right direction...others I simply dealt with outright. Solaire, or at least what was left of him after Anor Londo went dark before his very eyes...oh how I wish I could have seen the expression on his face. Logan as well, though by the time I got to him there wasn't much left. His staff, however, came in handy, as well as some of the spells he'd stolen from Seath." Oscar twirled around the wooden staff...that was why it was familiar. It was Logan's.

I didn't dare speak anymore, not until he was finished. I doubted I could even cast a miracle safely right now, let alone try for my Estus Flask. I would wait until he was done, and then act...however I could.

"That leaves me to you two, the only loose ends left. Don't take it personally...it's not. I just wanted to see how my creations were, and how they compare to your master. That's where this challenge comes into play. The terms are simple, you defeat me before I defeat either of you. If you lose...well, the First Flame's guardian is a frail old man. I can put out the flame before you even get close and end humanity's chance at survival. Combined with the undead that you've helped me dispose of...I'll be all that's left. Next time I come for you won't be within the confines of this challenge. It will be for real."

After that, the room was filled with silence. "You may speak."

Flynn spoke before I got the chance to. "And what if we win? Are you just going to walk away? You're pathetic, Oscar. We trusted you, perhaps even looked up to you at some points. Now, I wish I'd never met you. And what's this about ending humanity's chance at survival?"

Oscar chuckled. "Then you would still be rotting in that cell where I found you, slowly devolving into hollows until you didn't even know your own name. You should be thanking me, and yet here you are fighting back...such is the life of the master. As for humanity...I suppose you don't know the whole story. I'm well aware you spoke with Kaathe, and was quite pleased with the outcome of that...it seems you've resolved those conflicts, however...surprising. Let me explain."

"Kaathe preached to you a false tale, one that would sway you to do his bidding, Resa. Snuffing out the fire does not save humanity...rather, it dooms it. Without the fire, the Abyss will grow and consume as it always has, engulfing the world around us. The humans that are subjected to this? Well...they suffer a fate worse than hollowing."

"And why do you want this?" I was trying to fight my anger for Kaathe right now, instead channeling it towards Oscar, which wasn't hard given the circumstances.

"Because...the humans are inferior. They do not have this gift of immortality that we do, but are rather frail and weak. Since you've been here, generations have risen and fallen...time is meaningless for us undead. Snuffing out the fire ends humanity's tenuous reign over this world, while also ending the undead...only the strong will prosper, and I will be there to lead the powerful into the future."

He kept going...I wanted to punch him, make him stop talking, anything...but not yet. We'd take him on as a team. "As for if you defeat me, well...clearly I've raised entities more powerful than myself. If your will is not my own, there is little I can do to stand in your way. My power over your life is coming to a close, as you are at the end of your journey. It is time...have you usurped your master?"

Flynn shook his head. "You're not our master, Oscar. You never were. You saved us once, and we tried to repay that debt by saving your life. Now, however...I wish I'd left you to rot in the Asylum. You're nothing more than a power-hungry monster that's about to meet his end. You deserve a fate far worse than death."

Flynn turned to me. "Are you ready to do this? Don't hold back."

I smirked. "Like I was planning to."

Oscar simply nodded. "I will put you in your place, insubordinate pests. You shall learn your place."

With that, he began walking forward, reaching for his sword. In that regard, he hadn't changed a bit, still carrying the same trusty weapon he had when we first met him. However, it was also clear that we were now coming up to face a very skilled fighter, someone that was fluent in miracles, sorceries, and pyromancies. Oscar would be unpredictable...fitting.

* * *

 **Flynn**

Oscar was going to get what he deserved...death. If I could give him one thousand deaths I would, but I planned on making the first one count for as much as I could. He'd betrayed my trust. For that, he wouldn't stand a chance.

I charged forward, axe ready to strike. I wasn't even thinking about Gwyn right now, about the fact that I needed to be prepared for more once we'd dealt with Oscar. Every pyromancy in my arsenal was going to be trained and ready for this monster right in front of me.

Before he even got close I swung my axe to the side, unleashing the hidden power within it that I so seldomly used. A blast of wind surged from the blade towards Oscar, catching our target perfectly off guard. He stumbled back a few steps, leaving him open just enough for me to get the first strike. My axe slammed into his shoulder, ripping away with a sizable chunk of metal and flesh. I followed it up with a slam from my shield, sending his entire body twisting to the side.

I was ready to keep going, but I had no clue just how powerful our foe was. He reached for Logan's staff, quickly summoning six crystalline orbs that began to circle behind his back, one-by-one firing off towards me. Each one felt far stronger than I expected it to, sending me staggering backwards. After the fourth I fell to one knee, hiding behind my shield in an effort to keep going. However, they seemed to have a mind of their own, flying past my shield and into my shoulders, pure magical energy burning through me.

"You are weak, Flynn. You wear armor to protect your frail body. You will fall to my sorceries." He kept casting more, an ominous blue aura beginning to coat both his weapon and his shield, each one glowing with potent magical energy. He wasn't done though, continuing by firing a spear of crystalline energy directly towards me. Even though my shield was in the way it didn't seem to matter, the brunt of it phasing through my armor and into my flesh. My whole body burned in an indescribable way, potent energy making quick work of me.

I felt Resa's miracle start to work on me, however, quickly restoring my ruined body. "I may not be the most resilient, Oscar...but I'm the most persistent." I leaped back to my feet and dove straight towards him, foregoing my shield for now to call forth my pyromancy flame. I wrapped both hands around him as we both tumbled to the ground, hurling a chaos fireball at our landing location. It erupted around both of us, Oscar on the bottom, my body beginning to burn...but so was his. WIth Resa's Restoration miracle healing me, the wounds continuously opened and closed, a luxury that Oscar didn't have...or at least I hoped he didn't.

"Flynn, get back!"

I didn't have time to figure out what Resa was saying, it was too late. I didn't notice the familiar shell of force beginning to form around Oscar, but I absolutely noticed when he sent me flying across the room, my back slamming into the ceiling. Wrath of the Gods...I certainly hadn't been expecting that one. After I hit the ceiling I came crashing down to the ground, now landing face-first into my own pool of lava...this was going worse than I expected it to.

Oscar was there to follow-up, plunging his sword into my back, magically enchanted to cause as much pain as possible. I heard the sound of lightning spears whizzing overhead, though I didn't actually know who they were coming from. If Oscar was a Warrior of Sunlight...I didn't even want to entertain the possibility.

Oscar ripped his sword from my back, giving me just enough time to roll out of the way to avoid the assumed follow-up strike. I jumped back to my feet, my shield now nowhere close. I reached for my demon blade, going on the defensive as Oscar came at me with a furious barrage of sword strikes. "You are not worthy to succeed your master. Fall, and learn your place."

I countered, catching his blade and sending it flying with a twist of my own, leaving him completely open for the briefest of moments. I swung my blade, the edge crashing into his side and sending him toppling to the floor. Resa kept up the barrage of lightning spears, each one aimed precisely where the previous one hit, starting to burn a hole in his chest armor. Oscar rolled to the side just as I went for a follow-up strike, countering with a quick blast of magical energy that caught me off guard. This game him enough time to leap back to his feet, sheathing his sword and reaching for his pyromancy flame...or perhaps, Laurentius'.

"I know you pride yourself on your pyromancies. I doubt you'll even make me sweat."

I chuckled, sheathing my sword and unfurling my flame, my other hand now grabbing my axe. "That's because corpses can't sweat."

I called forth my whip, striking Oscar with the fiery braid several times in quick succession, each time. Once that one ran out I called forth another, this one snaking its way around him, winding through his arms and legs to restrict his movement. Once he was restrained, I hurled several more fireballs at him, each one blasting him directly in the chest. Once he fell over I began casting my third and final pyromancy...it was time.

I felt like I had complete control over it now, each of the pillars of fire erupting almost perfectly underneath Oscar. It swallowed him whole...or so I thought. In his hand was his talisman, a steady sheen of light surrounding him...miracles. He had to be healing himself, pushing through the pain. I kept it coming, however, eventually having to stop as my flame started to flicker. That left Oscar in the middle of the pool of lava that'd formed, my whip falling away.

"Not bad...not too good either."

Oscar charged towards me, leaving his talisman and calling forth his own flame. A burst of fire leaped from his fingertips towards me, a blinding display that caught me off guard. He kept them coming, the blasts of fire flying left and right from his hands, now starting to leap through the cracks in my armor and singe the skin underneath.

That was, until Resa jumped on his back, both arms wrapping around him as the two of them tumbled away. She threw him on the ground, plunging her sword into him several times until a blast of magical energy threw her away. I was quick to follow in her stead, however, sending my demon blade slamming down onto his prone body, crushing his armor across his midsection. I predicted the blast that followed, my blade already poised to absorb the brunt of the blow. I crushed him again with my blade, now again joined by Resa that plunged her holy sword into his head.

"Go to hell, Oscar." I slammed my blade down again, now severely twisting the shape of his midsection.

"This world is hell. I did what I could to make it my hell...a hell I could control. I see now...I'm as powerless as everyone else."

Resa plunged her blade into his skull now, striking him at the exact same time as the fourth and final swing from my weapon crashed into him...that was the end. The world again began distorting around us, fading out of existence only to come back a moment later. We were in our own world, now, everything as normal. This time, there was no distortion in the air, no prize to win...we'd simply walked away with our lives. Where Oscar was, I didn't know. If he planned to attack us, however...we'd be ready.

I looked to my sister...she was breathing heavily, as was I. That was closer than I'd wanted it to be, the control of the battle swaying several times. However, we'd emerged victorious, although the Kiln ahead of us made it clear we were far from finished just yet. "Let's take a breather for a second. I think we've earned it."

She nodded. "Couldn't have said it better myself." We both took a seat right outside the Kiln.

"So, what do you have left to work with miracle-wise?"

She shrugged. "A couple lightning spears, maybe one or two more doses of healing. You took quite the beating...I did what I could, and I don't regret it. You?"

"I probably have one whip left in me, maybe two. At most two fireballs as well. We'll make the most of them...we'll have to."

She nodded, the two of us then slipping into silence for a bit. We had a lot to take in...a lot to process. Oscar wasn't the man we thought he was, but in reality about as far from that as possible. What was, and wasn't real anymore...I wasn't quite sure.

Eventually, I'd had enough. We'd come this far, it was time to finish the job. I stood up, brushing myself off, and adjusting my weaponry. A sword, an axe, a shield, and a couple fireballs. That was all I had to fight the king of the undead...I didn't know why I felt confident.

"You're ready?"

I nodded, helping my sister to her feet. "After hearing what Oscar said, assuming it is true...I think my decision with the First Flame has been made clear."

Resa nodded. "I don't even see it as a decision. I thought putting out the fire would help humanity, but it sounds like that's just the opposite. We keep the fire burning."

"Together."

I walked towards the Kiln now, passing through the low entryway. The inside wasn't at all a surprise, as we'd just been here. However, in this instance of the Kiln, a glorious bonfire burned in the center of it...the first flame. Before it was Gwyn, clearly. He was an older man, no surprise there, a twisted and thinned metal crown adorning his head. This was the King...a hollowed man that has kept the fire burning longer than anyone thought possible. And yet, here we were now to relieve him of this duty, something that wouldn't be easy.

Gwyn immediately took to the defensive, leaping into the air with surprising speed for a man that was possibly centuries old. He propelled himself towards Resa, his sword plowing straight through her chest and right out the other side. Without so much as a word, he kicked her off his massive blade, discarding her onto the ground.

She was still alive, I knew that because I was, but I didn't know if that would continue to be the case. I rushed to interpose myself between the two of them, hopefully buying her time to heal herself through whatever means necessary. I slammed myself shield-first into Gwyn, drawing his attention as my axe struck his shoulder in the same motion. He retaliated as expected, slamming his greatsword into me with the power of the deity that he was.

I held my ground...we were in too deep now. The First Flame wouldn't last if nobody succeeded him, and that meant we had to be the first. Especially now, with Oscar still potentially against us, we had to win now. I slashed back, the two of us going back and forth as I did my best to block his strikes, all the while attempting to deliver a few of my own. It wasn't easy, Gwyn maneuvering his sword to both strike my armor and block my own strikes, making each small scratch I got on him feel like a victory in its own right.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Resa get back up off the ground, stowing away her Estus flask. That meant she still had all her miracles left...that was good. She immediately used one, hurling a lightning spear at the god, causing just enough of a distraction for him to let me get one good strike off. I plunged my axe into his shoulder, ripping it away with a sense of pride...I was fighting a deity...and I was potentially winning.

I let my guard down as I went in for a second strike, something that Gwyn quickly capitalized on. He lifted up his free hand and simply grabbed my axe in the air, staring at me with hollowed, empty eyes. Again, no words were spoken...he might have become so hollow he'd forgotten how to speak. A second lightning spear came from Resa, this one having absolutely no effect on him as Gwyn simply threw my arm to the side, deftly moving his arm to wrap around my neck. He lifted me into the air with ease, an already superior stature accented as he made full use of it, eventually leaving my legs dangling in the air. He crushed the armor around my neck with his bare fist...I was in over my head. All that I remember next is seeing his greatsword plunge into my stomach, at which point I immediately blacked out.

* * *

 **Resa**

Flynn fell to the ground in the same way I had just a moment ago, though he seemed to have taken a much more direct and planned hit than me. Before I even thought about Gwyn I sent out a healing miracle, perhaps my last one, hoping to bring him back from the brink. While that was working, however, I needed to buy him time, something I wasn't quite sure I'd be able to do.

Gwyn had certainly not forgotten my presence, my lightning spears reminding him of that, and he quickly turned on me once I was the only threat left in the room. WIth surprising speed he ran up to me as I dodged to the right, evading the thrust of his sword that would have ended my life that instant. Once I was back on my feet I got a quick slash in across his back, ducking and weaving around to try and land my own strikes will also dodging Gwyn's. He was fast, swinging a greatsword impressively fast and with great dexterity. Every time I felt like I had an opening I saw the sword just a moment away from sending me flying, causing most of my strikes to be much more brief than I would have wanted.

Gwyn's strikes became much more accurate as he learned my dodge patterns, getting to the point where I could barely even land a scratch on him before I rolled out of the way. After one dodge, however...the sword froze in the air. I didn't stop to think about it for the moment, instead opting to plunge my blade into his back, bringing with it a very real possibility that we might emerge victorious from this. The strike gave me time to see just what had happened...Flynn's chaos whip had wrapped around his arm. This only deterred Gwyn for a moment though as he simply grabbed the braid with his free hand, pulling on it with enough force to send Gwyn rolling on the floor towards me and Gwyn. I backed off, now that the both of us were back...it was time to do this together.

Flynn charged forward, blocking a heavy jab with his shield, retaliating with his own strike. Now that Gwyn was distracted, I had time to run up behind him, a deep cut arcing across his back before he circled around, catching me off guard as a hit from his blade sent me to the ground. Flynn punished him for this, however, his axe slamming into Gwyn's chest.

I hurled a lightning spear at the deity as I rejoined the fight, my hand cramping considerably...that would be the last of those. I still had at least one more healing miracle left, as well as...I'd forgotten about that. I ran up to Gwyn, already forming the shell of energy around me, unleashing it right as I got behind him.

He barely even budged...I was shocked. Wrath of the Gods did nearly nothing to him. I was accustomed to seeing undead be hurled across the room, but Gwyn...nothing. I suppose Wrath of the Gods, well...didn't affect deities. Gwyn spun around, ignoring Flynn as he plowed his foot into me, breaking my guard and slamming his sword into my shoulder. I was sent retreating, Flynn grabbing the deity's attention while I reached for my Estus flask. I ran it dry, simply opting to toss the empty bottle away, my wounds now fully healed. What was left, however, would have to come from my talisman, and I wasn't quite sure there was much left in that either.

Flynn discharged a fireball from his flame, catching Gwyn by surprise, allowing both of us to get one clean strike in on him before I had to retreat from his greatsword. We were starting to whittle him down, his strikes not quite as deadly as before, slight lag between the end of each thrust and the start of the next. However, we certainly were in the same position, my rolls not nearly as quick as they once were, and Flynn's strikes not carrying the same weight behind them as usual. two fights of this intensity back-to-back was more than we were use to, and it was showing.

Flynn blocked Gwyn's attack with his sword, countering with a fireball to the face. I got several quick thrusts in this time, Flynn landing a strike with his demon blade...it seemed he had the intention of ending this quickly. Without a shield to hide behind Flynn blocked with his blade, each brutal strike from Gwyn now chipping away at his resolve much more now that he wasn't using the familiar mound of metal to guard himself. I started using my shield, a trait I'd forgotten about in the past while, hurling the discs at Gwyn from afar. With these, I still had plenty, the barrage of energy clearly more than annoying to the deity, eventually forcing Gwyn away from my brother and towards me.

Flynn wouldn't have that, however, instead grabbing his axe, slashing in front of him. A gust of wind bellowed outwards, knocking Gwyn to his feet for just a moment...that was all I wanted or needed. I leaped forward, plunging my blade into his back perfectly, retracting and plunging it in again. Gwyn threw me off and sent me rolling to the side, only to have Flynn come up in my stead and slam his demon blade into the deity's chest.

That was it...the battle was now fully in our court. We just had to avoid squandering it. Gwyn struggled to get up with Flynn over top, going ahead and expending his final whip to wrap around his arms, buying just enough time to get another powerful blow in with his blade. I came up now as well, joining the assault with my holy weapon, simultaneously striking at him with my shield.

We overwhelmed him...I don't know which strike was the last, the two of us working in tandem to take him down. It didn't matter who got the final strike...we were a team, brother and sister. We won together. Slowly, Gwyn's body began fading away, burning away to reveal a powerful, burning ember of a soul behind. Flynn picked it up, holding it out in front for both of us.

"In the end...this was all anyone here was. We are souls, some more powerful than the next, others persisting long after others. We don't ever know the qualities of our soul...not while we're alive, at least. I think it's better that way...it allows you and me to fight a god, and emerge victorious. I - "

His thoughts were cut short as the lights in the room began to flicker and fade, its previous fuel now gone. I turned to my brother. "I agree...but we've got a job to do. Perhaps we won't find the true strength of our souls, but the people that come after us...they might."

He nodded, the two of us walking in solemn reverence towards the First Flame. After hearing just how horrible of a crime it would be to let this fire fade, there was no decision to be made. I held my hand out to the fire, trying to feel the familiar spark of connecting with a lost bonfire. However, I didn't feel it, instead feeling a warmth begin to flood my body. The hand that I'd held out had caught fire, slowly beginning to work it's way up my arm. Flynn was going through the same process, the two of us instinctively locking hands as the fire consumed us.

It hurt...physically, it burned like any fire would. However, mentally, I was at peace with this. This was the purest sacrifice a Warrior of Sunlight could offer...my body, my life, in exchange for the continuation of the lives of countless more undead, many of which I've never met and certainly will never meet.

The fire consumed both of us, slowly, After it passed our shoulders, Flynn stepped wholly into the fire, myself just a moment behind. There, we waited out the rest of our lives...the best way possible.

 **If you've made it this far, you've reached the end. Thank you so much...this has been my most ambitious project yet at 10 months of non-stop writing, as I began this for NaNoWriMo 2017. For NaNoWriMo 2018, I'm looking at doing my own project that wouldn't involve fanfiction, so I might be quiet for a while.**

 **Something I want from you all, however, if you'd be so kind. I don't want to be done with Flynn and Resa...I've grown to love both of these characters. They represent my first two successful playthroughs of Dark Souls, the first being a female strength tank/pyromancer named Liss, the second being a male dex/faith hybrid named Sunny. These were the inspirations of Flynn and Resa, which is why I really don't want to give up these characters - they're very close to my heart in a game I've loved for years. For that reason, I'm thinking that sometime in the future, I might have a reprisal in Dark Souls 3, with the two of them being brought back as Ashen Ones to carry out their quest.**

 **If this is something that interests you, let me know in a private PM (or comment, but I personally don't think that's the place for a response like that). Though I won't be actively writing on fanfiction for perhaps a while, I still get an email any time something happens (favorites/follows, PMs, etc.) I will know that there is support for this, and if I get enough of it, I will be willing to put off my next project in favor of giving you awesome readers what you'd want - it's your encouragement that keeps me going.**

 **Carry on, undead, and I hope you enjoyed Twin Humanities.**


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